IRLF 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

PRESENTED  BY 

PROF.  CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 
MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


LIFE  OP 


BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN. 


NEW   YORK: 
CORNISH,  LAMPORT  &  CO. 

267  PEARL-STREET. 

1851. 


LIFE 


BENJAMIN 


ON    THE   BASIS   OF 

HIS  A'UTOBIOGRAPHY; 

WITH  ADDITIONS,  BRINGING  TIP  THK  NARKATIVK 
TO  THE  END  OF  HIS  LIFE. 


NEW    YORK: 

CORNISH,  LAMPORT  &  CO 

267  PEARL-STREET. 
1851. 


Entered  according  to  an  Act  of  Congress,  in 

the  year  1847,  by 

NAFIS   &    CORNISH, 

in  tne  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of 

the  Southern  District  oi  New  York. 


E.  B.  Mearx,  Stereotyper, 
Philadelphia. 


PREFACE. 


DR.  FRANKLIN  is  known  in  history 
as  the  American  philosopher  and 
statesman.  Brought  up  a  printer, 
by  industry,  perseverance,  and  good 
conduct,  he  rose  to  the  highest  posi* 
tion  in  society }  a  first-rate  rank 
among  scientific  men  j  and  the  office 
of  ambassador  from  his  country  to 
foreign  courts.  In  all  his  conduct 
in  life,  good  sense  was  the  prevailing 
characteristic.  He  never  lost,  when 
his  higher  destinies  were  fulfilled)  the 
original  simplicity  and  plainness  of 
his  manners,  or  the  fine  tone  of  be 
nevolent  feeling  which  marked  his 
character  as  a  boy.  Of  all  the  nu 
merous  biographies  of  Franklin  which 
have  appeared,  none  can  bear  com- 


M368H5 


IV  PREFACE. 


parison  with  that  which  he  wrote 
himself ;  and  it  is  only  to  be  regret 
ted  that  he  should  have  discontinued 
it  so  long  before  the  close  of  his 
brilliant  and  eventful  career.  The 
reader  will  find  it  not  only  the  most 
entertaining  but  the  most  useful  of 
memoirs,  since  it  points  out  the  way 
in  which  modest  merit  may  rise  to 
distinction.  Many  and  many  are 
the  men  who  have  freely  and  openly 
attributed  their  whole  success  in  life 
to  an  early  perusal  of  Franklin's 
memoirs  of  himself. 

We  cordially  hope  that  the  pres 
ent  edition  of  this  remarkable  book 
may  prove  as  useful  as  those  which 
have  preceded  it.  The  conclusion 
of  Franklin's  Life  in  this  volume,  is  of 
course  by  another  hand.  We  hope 
and  trust  the  additional  facts  may 
prove  also  interesting  and  useful  to 
the  reader. 


LIFE  OF 
BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN. 


I  HAVE  amused  myself  with 
collecting  some  little  anecdotes  of 
my  family.  You  may  remem 
ber  the  inquiries  I  made  when  you 
were  with  me  in  England,  among 
such  of  my  relations  as  were  then 
living,  and  the  journey  I  undertook 
for  that  purpose.  To  be  acquaint 
ed  with  the  particulars  of  my 
parentage  and  life,  many  of  which 
are  unknown  to  you,  I  flatter  my 
self  will  afford  the  same  pleasure 
to  you  as  to  me.  I  shall  relate 
them  upon  paper ;  it  will  be  an 


LIFE    OF 


agreeable  employment  of  a  week's 
uninterrupted  leisure,  which  I 
promise  myself  during  my  present 
retirement  in  the  country.  There 
are  also  other  motives  which  in 
duce  me  to  the  undertaking.  From 
the  bosom  of  poverty  and  obscurity, 
in  which  I  drew  my  first  breath 
and  spent  my  earliest  years,  I 
have  raised  myself  to  a  state  of 
opulence,  and  to  some  degree  of 
celebrity  in  the  world.  A  con- 
stant  good  fortune  has  attended  me 
through  every  period  of  my  life  to 
my  present  advanced  age ;  and  my 
descendants  may  be  desirous  of 
learning  what  were  the  means  of 
which  I  made  use,  and  which, 
thanks  to  the  assisting  hand  of 
Providence,  have  proved  so  emi 
nently  successful. 


BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN. 


And  here  let  me  with  all  hu 
mility  acknowledge,  that  to  Divine 
Providence  I  am  indebted  for  the 
felicity  I  have  hitherto  enjoyed. 
It  is  that  power  alone  which  has 
furnished  me  with  the  means  I 
have  employed,  and  that  has 
crowned  them  with  success.  My 
faith  in  this  respect  leads  me  to 
hope,  though  I  cannot  count  upon  it, 
that  the  Divine  goodness  will  still 
be  exercised  towards  me,  either  by 
prolonging  the  duration  of  my 
happiness  to  the  close  of  life,  or  by 
giving  me  fortitude  to  support  any 
melancholy  reverse  which  may 
happen  to  me  as  to  so  many  others. 
My  future  fortune  is  unknown  but 
to  Him  in  whose  hands  is  our  des 
tiny,  and  who  can  make  our  very 
afflictions  subservient  to  our  benefit. 


LIFE  OF 


One  of  my  uncles,  desirous,  like 
myself,  of  collecting  anecdotes  of 
our  family,  gave  me  some  notes, 
from  which  I  have  derived  many 
particulars  respecting  our  ances 
tors.  From  these  I  learn,  that 
they  had  lived  in  the  same  village 
(Eaton,  in  Northamptonshire,)  upon 
a  freehold  of  about  thirty  acres,  for 
the  space  at  least  of  three  hundred 
years.  How  they  had  resided 
there  prior  to  that  period,  my  uncle 
had  been  unable  to  discover ; 
probably  ever  since  the  institution 
of  surnames,  when  they  took  the 
appellation  of  Franklin,  which  had 
formerly  been  the  name  of  a  par 
ticular  order  of  individuals. 

This  petty  estate  would  not  have 
sufficed  for  their  subsistence,  had 
they  not  added  the  trade  of  black- 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 


smith,  which  was  perpetuated  in 
the  family  down  to  my  uncle's 
time,  the  eldest  son  having  been 
uniformly  brought  up  to  this  em 
ployment  ;  a  custom  which  both 
he  and  my  father  observed  with 
respect  to  their  eldest  sons. 

In  the  researches  I  made  at  Eaton, 
I  found  no  account  of  their  births, 
marriages,  and  deaths,  earlier  than 
the  year  1555,  the  parish  register 
not  extending  farther  back  than 
that  period.  This  register  inform 
ed  me,  that  I  was  the  youngest  son 
of  the  youngest  branch  of  the 
family,  counting  five  generations. 
My  grandfather,  Thomas,  who  was 
born  in  1598,  lived  at  Eaton  till  he 
was  too  old  to  continue  his  trade, 
when  he  retired  to  Banbury  in 
Oxfordshire,  where  his  son  John, 


10  LIFE   OF 


who  was  a  dyer,  resided,  and  with 
whom  my  father  was  apprenticed. 
He  died,  and  was  buried  there :  we 
saw  his  monument  in  1758.  His 
eldest  son  lived  in  the  family  house 
at  Eaton,  which  he  bequeathed, 
with  the  land  belonging  to  it,  to 
his  only  daughter,  who,  in  concert 
with  her  husband,  Mr.  Fisher,  of 
Wellingborough,  afterwards  sold  it 
to  Mr.  Ested,  the  present  proprietor. 

'My  grandfather  had  four  survi 
ving  sons,  Thomas,  John,  Benja 
min,  and  Josias.  I  shall  give  you 
such  particulars  of  them  as  my 
memory  will  furnish,  not  having  my 
papers  here,..in  which  you  will  find 
a  more  minute  account,  if  they  are 
not  lost  during  my  absence. 

Thomas  had  learned  the  trade 
of  blacksmith  under  his  father; 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  11 

but  possessing  a  good  natural  un 
derstanding,  he  improved  it  by 
study,  at  the  solicitation  of  a  gen 
tleman  of  the  name  of  Palmer, 
who  was  at  that  time  the  principal 
inhabitant  of  the  village,  ^and  who 
encouraged,  in  like  manner,  all  my 
uncles  to  improve  their  minds. 
Thomas  thus  rendered  himself 
competent  to  the  functions  of  a 
country  attorney,  soon  became  an 
essential  personage  in  the  affairs  of 
the  village,  and  was  one  of  the 
chief  movers  of  every  public  en 
terprise,  as  well  relative  to  the 
country,  as  the  town  of  North 
ampton.  A  variety  of  remarkable 
incidents  were  told  us  of  him  at 
Eaton.  After  enjoying  the  esteem 
an<l  patronage  of  Lord  Halifax,  he 
died,  January  6th,  1702,  precisely 


12 


four  years  before  I  was  born.  The 
recital  that  was  made  us  of  his 
life  and  character,  by  some  aged 
persons  of  the  village,  struck  you, 
I  remember,  as  extraordinary, 
from  its  analogy  to  what  you  knew 
of  myself.  "  Had  he  died,"  said 
you,  "just  four  years  later,  one 
might  have  supposed  a  transmigra 
tion  of  souls." 

John,  to  the  best  of  my  belief, 
was  brought  up  to  the  trade  of  a 
wool-dyer. 

Benjamin  served  his  apprentice 
ship  in  London  to  a  silk-dyer.  He 
was  an  industrious  man :  I  re 
member  him  well ;  for,  while  I 
was  a  child,  he  joined  my  father 
at  Boston,  and  lived  for  some  years 
in  the  house  with  us.  A  particul  ir 
affection  had  always  subsisted  be- 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  13 

tween  my  father  and  him,  and  I 
was  his  god-son.  He  arrived  to  a 
great  age.  He  left  behind  him 
two  quarto  volumes  of  poems  in 
manuscript,  consisting  of  little  fu 
gitive  pieces,  addressed  to  his  friends. 
He  had  invented  a  short-hand, 
which  he  taught  me,  but  having 
never  made  use  of  it,  I  have  now 
forgotten  it.  He  was  a  man  of 
piety,  and  a  constant  attendant  on 
the  best  preachers,  whose  sermons 
he  took  a  pleasure  in  writing  down, 
according  to  the  expeditory  method 
he  had  devised,  Many  volumes 
were  thus  collected  by  him.  He 
was  extremely  fond  of  politics ;  too 
much  so,  perhaps,  for  his  situation. 
I  lately  found,  in  London,  a  col 
lection  which  he  had  made  of  all 
the  principal  pamphlets  relative  to 


14  LIFE  OF 


public  affairs,  from  the  year  1641 
to  1717.  Many  volumes  are 
wanting,  as  appears  by  the  scries 
of  numbers ;  but  there  still  remain 
eight  in  folio,  and  twenty -four  in 
quarto  and  octavo.  The  collection 
had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  a  second 
hand  bookseller,  who  knowing  me, 
by  having  sold  me  some  books, 
brought  it  to  me.  My  uncle,  it 
seems,  had  left  it  behind  him  on 
his  departure  for  America,  about 
fifty  years  ago.  I  found  various 
notes  of  his  writing  in  the  margin. 
Our  humble  family  had  early 
embraced  the  Reformation.  They 
remained  faithfully  attached  during 
the  reign  of  Queen  Mary,  when 
they  were  in  danger  of  being  mo 
lested,  on  account  of  their  zeal 
against  Popery,  They  had  an 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  16 

English  Bible,  and,  to  conceal  it 
the  more  securely,  they  conceived 
the  project  of  fastening  it  open, 
with  packthreads  across  the  leaves, 
on  the  inside  of  the  lid  of  a  close- 
stool.  When  my  great-grand 
father  wished  to  read  to  his  family, 
he  reversed  the  lid  of  the  close-stool 
upon  his  knees,  and  passed  the 
leaves  from  one  side  to  the  other, 
which  were  held  down  on  each  by 
the  packthread.  One  of  the  chil 
dren  was  stationed  at  the  door,  to 
give  notice  if  he  saw  the  proctor 
(an  officer  of  the  Spiritual  Court) 
make  his  appearance :  in  that  case, 
the  lid  was  restored  to  its  place, 
with  the  Bible  concealed  under  it, 
as  before. 

The  whole  family  preserved  at 
tachment  to  the  Church  of  Eng- 


16  LIFE  OF 


land  till  towards  the  close  of  the 
reign  of  Charles  II.,  when  certain 
ministers,  who  had  been  ejected  as 
non-conformists,  having  held  con 
venticles  in  Northamptonshire,  they 
were  joined  by  Benjamin  and 
Josias,  who  adhered  to  them  ever 
after.  The  rest  of  the  family  con 
tinued  in  the  Episcopal  Church. 

My  father,  Josias,  married  early 
in  life.  He  went,  with  his  wife 
and  three  children,  to  New  Eng 
land,  about  the  year  1682.  Con 
venticles  being  at  that  time  pro 
hibited  by  law,  and  frequently  dis 
turbed,  some  considerable  persons 
of  his  acquaintance  determined  to 
go  to  America,  where  they  hoped 
to  enjoy  the  free  exercise  of  their 
religion,  and  my  father  was  pre 
vailed  on  to  accompany  them. 


BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN.  17 


My  father  had  also,  by  the  same 
wife,  four  children  born  in  America, 
and  ten  others  by  a  second  wife, 
making  in  all  seventeen.  I  re 
member  to  have  seen  thirteen 
seated  together  at  his  table,  who 
all  arrived  to  years  of  maturity, 
and  were  married.  I  was  the  last 
of  the  sons,  and  the  youngest  child 
excepting  two  daughters.  I  was 
born  at  Boston,  in  New  England. 
My  mother,  the  second  wife,  was 
Abiah  Folger,  daughter  of  Peter 
Folger,  one  of  the  first  colonists  of 
New  England,  of  whom  Cotton 
Mather  makes  honourable  mention 
in  his  Ecclesiastical  History  of 
that  province,  as  "  a  pious  learned 
Englishman." 

My  brothers  were  all  put  ap 
prentice  to  different  trades.  With 


18  LIFE  OF 


respect  to  myself,  I  was  sent,  at 
the  age  of  eight  years,  to  a  gram 
mar  school.  My  father  destined 
me  for  the  church,  and  already 
regarded  me  as  the  chaplain  of  the 
family.  The  promptitude  with 
which,  from  my  infancy,  I  had 
learned  to  read,  for  I  do  not  re 
member  to  have  been  ever  without 
this  acquirement,  and  the  en 
couragement  of  his  friends,  who 
assured  him  that  I  should  one  day 
certainly  become  a  man  of  letters, 
confirmed  him  in  this  design.  My 
uncle  Benjamin  approved  also  of 
the  scheme,  and  promised  to  give 
me  all  his  volumes  of  sermons, 
written,  as  I  have  said,  in  the 
short-hand  of  his  invention,  if  I 
would  take  the  pains  to  learn  it. 
I  remained,  however,  scarcely  a 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  19 


year  at  grammar  school,  although, 
in  this  short  interval,  I  had  risen 
from  the  middle  to  the  head  of  my 
class,  from  thence  to  the  class  im 
mediately  above,  and  was  to  pass, 
at  the  end  of  the  year,  to  the  one 
next  in  order.  But  my  father, 
burthencd  with  a  numerous  family, 
found  that  he  was  incapable,  with 
out  subjecting  himself  to  diffi 
culties,  of  providing  for  the  ex 
pense  of  a  collegiate  education  ; 
and  considering,  besides,  as  I  heard 
him  say  to  his  friends,  that  persons 
so  educated  were  often  poorly  pro 
vided  for,  he  renounced  his  first 
intentions,  took  me  from  the  gram 
mar  school,  and  sent  me  to  a 
school  for  writing  and  arithmetic, 
kept  by  a  Mr.  George  Brownwell, 
who  was  a  skilful  master,  and 


20 


succeeded  very  well  in  his  profes 
sion  by  employing  gentle  means 
only,  and  such  as  were  calculated 
to  encourage  his  scholars.  Under 
him  I  soon  acquired  an  excellent 
hand,  but  I  failed  in  arithmetic, 
and  made  therein  no  great  progress. 
At  ten  years  of  age,  I  was  called 
home,  to  assist  my  father  in  his 
occupation,  which  was  that  of 
soap-boiler  and  tallow-chandler,  a 
business  to  which  he  had  served 
no  apprenticeship,  but  which  he 
embraced  on  his  arrival  in  New- 
England,  because  he  found  his  own, 
that  of  a  dyer,  in  too  little  request 
to  enable  him  to  maintain  his  family. 
I  was,  accordingly,  employed  in 
cutting  the  wicks,  filling  the  moulds, 
taking  care  of  the  shop,  carrying 
messages,  &c. 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  21 

This  business  displeased  me, 
and  I  felt  a  strong  inclination  for  a 
sea  life ;  but  my  father  set  his  face 
against  it.  The  vicinity  of  the 
water,  however,  gave  me  frequent 
opportunities  of  venturing  myself 
both  upon  and  within  it,  and  I  soon 
acquired  the  art  of  swimming  and 
-of  managing  a  boat.  When  em 
barked  with  other  children,  the 
helm  was  commonly  deputed  to  me, 
particularly  on  difficult  occasions ; 
and,  in  every  other  project,  I  was 
almost  always  the  leader  of  the 
troop,  whom  I  sometimes  involved 
in  embarrassments.  I  shall  give 
an  instance  of  this,  which  demon 
strates  an  early  disposition  of  mind 
for  public  enterprises,  though  the 
one  in  question  was  not  conducted 
by  justice. 


22  LIFE  OF 


The  mill-pond  was  terminated 
on  one  side  by  a  marsh,  upon  the 
borders  of  which  we  were  accus 
tomed  to  take  our  stand,  at  high 
water,  to  angle  for  small  fish.  By 
dint  of  walking,  we  had  converted 
the  place  into  a  perfect  quagmire. 
My  proposal  was  to  erect  a  wharf 
that  should  afford  us  firm  footing, 
and  I  pointed  to  my  companions  a 
large  heap  of  stones,  intended  for 
building  a  new  house  near  the 
marsh,  and  which  were  well  adapted 
for  our  purpose.  Accordingly, 
when  the  workmen  retired  in  the 
evening,  I  assembled  a  number  of 
my  play-fellows,  and  by  labouring 
diligently,  like  ants,  sometimes  four 
of  us  uniting  our  strength  to  carry 
a  single  stone,  we  removed  them 
all,  and  constructed  our  little  quay. 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  23 

The  workmen  were  surprised  the 
next  morning  at  not  finding  their 
stones,  which  had  been  conveyed 
to  our  wharf.  Inquiries  were 
made  respecting  the  authors  of  this 
conveyance ;  we  were  discovered, 
complaints  were  exhibited  against 
us,  many  of  us  'underwent  correc 
tion  on  the  part  of  our  parents, 
and  though  I  strenuously  defended 
the  utility  of  the  work,  my  father 
at  length  convinced  me,  that  no 
thing  which  was  not  strictly  honest, 
could  be  usefuL 

It  will  not,  perhaps,  be  uninter 
esting  to  you  to  know  what  sort  of 
a  man  my  father  was.  He  had  an 
excellent  constitution,  was  of  a 
middle  size,  but  well  made  and 
strong,  and  exjtremely  active  in 
whatever  he  undertook.  He  de- 


24  LIFE    OF 


signed  with  a  degree  of  neatness, 
and  knew  a  little  of  music.  His 
voice  was  sonorous  and  agreeable, 
so  that  when  he  sung  a  psalm  or 
hyrnn  with  accompaniment  of  his 
violin,  as  was  his  frequent  practice 
in  an  evening,  when  the  labours  of 
the  day  were  finished,  it  was  truly 
delightful  to  hear  him.  He  was 
versed  also  in  mechanics,  and  could, 
upon  occasion,  use  the  tools  of  a 
variety  of  trades.  But  his  greatest 
excellence  was,  a  sound  understand 
ing  and 'solid  judgment  in  matters 
of  prudence,  both  in  public  and 
private  life.  In  the  former,  indeed, 
he  never  engaged,  because  his  nu 
merous  family,  and  the  mediocrity 
of  his  fortune,  kept  him  unremit 
tingly  employed  *in  the  duties  of 
his  profession.  But  I  very  well 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  25 


remember,  that  the  leading  men  of 
the  place  used  frequently  to  come 
and  ask  his  advice  respecting  affairs 
of  the  town,  or  of  the  church  to 
which  he  belonged,  and  that  they 
paid  much  deference  to  his  opinion. 
Individuals  were  also  in  the  habit 
of  consulting  him  in  their  private 
affairs,  and  he  was  often  chosen 
arbiter  between  contending  parties. 
He  was  fond  of  having  at  his 
table,  as  often  as  possible,  some 
friends  or  well  informed  neighbours, 
capable  of  rational  conversation, 
and  he  was  always  careful  to  in 
troduce  useful  or  ingenious  topics 
of  discourse  which  might  tend  to 
form  the  minds  of  his  children. 
By  this  means,  he  early  attracted 
our  attention  to  what  was  just, 
prudent,  and  beneficial  in  the  con- 


26  LIFE   OF 


duct  of  life.  He  never  talked  of 
the  meats  which  appeared  upon  the 
table,  never  discussed  whether  they 
were  well  or  ill  dressed,  of  a  good 
or  bad  flavour,  high-seasoned  or 
otherwise  preferable  or  inferior  to 
this  or  that  dish  of  a  similar  kind. 
Thus,  accustomed,  from  my  in 
fancy,  to  the  utmost  inattention  as 
to  these  objects,  I  have  always 
been  perfectly  regardless  of  what 
kind  of  food,  was  before  me  ;  and 
I  pay  so  little  attention  to  it,  even 
now,  that  it  would  be  a  hard  matter 
for  me  to  recollect,  a  few  hours 
after  I  had  dined,  of  what  my  din 
ner  had  consisted.  When  travel 
ling,  I  have  often  particularly  ex 
perienced  the  advantage  of  this 
habit ;  for  it  has  often  happened  to 
me  to  be  in  company  with  persons 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  27 

who,  having  a  more  delicate,  be 
cause  a  more  exercised  taste,  have 
suffered  in  many  cases  considerable 
inconvenience ;  while,  as  to  myself, 
I  have  had  nothing  to  desire. 

My  mother  was  likewise  pos 
sessed  of  an  excellent  constitution. 
She  suckled  all  her  ten  children, 
and  I  never  heard  either  her  or  my 
father  complain  of  any  other  dis 
order  than  that  of  which  they 
died ;  my  father  at  the  age  of 
eighty-seven,  and  my  mother  at 
eighty -five.  They  are  buried  at 
Bosjon,  where  a  few  years  ago 
I  placed  a  marble  over  their  grave. 
I  continued  employed  in  my 
father's  trade  for  the  space  of  two 
years  ;  that  is  to  say,  till  I  arrived 
at  twelve  years  of  age.  About 
this  time  my  brother  John,  who 


28  LIFE  OF 


had  served  his  apprenticeship  in 
London,  having  quitted  my  father, 
and  being  married  and  settled  in 
business  on  his  own  account  at 
Rhode  Island,  I  was  destined  to 
all  appearance  to  supply  his  place 
and  be  a  candle-maker  all  my 
life :  but  my  dislike  of  this  occu 
pation  continuing,  my  father  was 
apprehensive,  that,  if  a  more  agree 
able  one  were  not  offered  me,  I 
might  play  the  truant  and  escape 
to  sea ;  as,  to  his  great  mortifi 
cation,  my  brother  Josias  had  done. 
He  therefore  took  me  sometimes 
to  see  masons,  coopers,  braziers, 
joiners,  and  other  mechanics,  em 
ployed  at  their  work,  in  order  to 
discover  the  bent  of  my  inclination, 
and  fix  it  if  he  could  upon  some 
occupation  that  might  retain  me 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  29 


on  shore.  I  have  since,  in  con 
sequence  of  these  visits,  derived 
no  small  pleasure  from  seeing 
skilful  workmen  handle  their  tools  ; 
and  it  has  proved  of  considerable 
benefit,  to  have  acquired  thereby 
sufficient  knowledge  to  be  able  to 
make  little  things  for  myself,  when 
I  have  had  no  mechanic  at  hand, 
and  to  construct  small  machines 
for  my  experiments,  while  the  idea 
I  have  conceived  "has  been  fresh 
and  strongly  impressed  on  my 
imagination. 

My  father  at  length  decided  that 
I  should  be  a  cutler,  and  I  was 
placed  for  some  days  upon  trial 
with  my  cousin  Samuel,  son  of 
my  uncle  Benjamin,  who  had 
learned  his  trade  in  London,  and 
had  established  himself  at  Boston. 


30  LIFE  OF 

But  the  premium  he  required  for 
my  apprenticeship  displeasing  my 
father,  I  was  recalled  home. 

From  my  earliest  years  I  had 
been  passionately  fond  of  reading, 
and  laid  out  in  books  all  the  money 
I  could  procure.  I  was  particu 
larly  pleased  with  accounts  of 
voyages.  My  first  acquisition  was 
Bunyan's  collection  in  small  sepa 
rate  volumes.  These  I  afterwards 
sold  in  order  to  buy  an  historical 
collection  which  consisted  of  small 
cheap  volumes,  amounting  in  all  to 
about  forty  or  fifty.  My  father's 
little  library  was  principally  made 
up  of  books  of  practical  and  po 
lemical  theology.  I  read  the 
greatest  part  of  them.  I  have 
since  often  regretted,  that  at  that 
time  when  I  had  so  great  a  thirst 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  31 

for  knowledge,  more  eligible  books 
had  not  fallen  into  my  hands,  as  it 
was  then  a  point  decided  that  I 
should  not  be  educated  for  the 
church.  There  was  also  among 
my  father's  books  Plutarch's  Lives, 
in  which  I  read  continually,  and  I 
still  regard  as  advantageously  em 
ployed  the  time  I  devoted  to  them. 
I  found  besides  a  work  of  De 
Fou's,  entitled,  an  Essay  on  Pro 
jects,  from  which,  perhaps,  I  de 
rived  impressions  that  have  since 
influenced  some  of  the  principal 
events  of  my  life. 

My  inclination  for  books  at  last 
determined  my  father  to  make  me 
a  printer,  though  he  had  already  a 
son  in  that  profession.  My  brother 
had  returned  from  England  in 
1717,  with  a  press  and  types,  in 


32  LIFE  OF 


order  to  establish  a  printing-house 
,at  Boston.  This  business  pleased 
me  much  better  than  that  of  my 
father,  though  I  had  still  a  predi 
lection  for  the  sea.  To  prevent 
the  effects  which  might  result  from 
this  inclination,  my  father  was  im 
patient  to  see  me  engaged  with  my 
brother.  I  held  back  for  some 
time  ;  at  length  however  I  suffered 
myself  to  be  persuaded,  and  signed 
my  indentures,  being  then  only 
twelve  years  of  age.  It  was 
agreed  that  I  should  serve  as  ap 
prentice  to  the  age  of  twenty-one, 
and  should  receive  journeymen's 
wages  only  during  the  last  year. 

In  a  very  short  time  I  made 
great  proficiency  in  this  business, 
and  became  very  serviceable  to 
my  brother.  I  had  now  an  op- 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  35 

portunity  of  procuring  better  books. 
The  acquaintance  I  necessarily 
formed  with  booksellers'  appren 
tices,  enabled  me  to  borrow  a 
volume  now  and  then,  which  I 
never  failed  to  return  punctually 
and  without  injury.  How  often 
has  it  happened  to  ine  to  pass  the 
greater  part  of  the  night  in  reading 
by  my  bed-side,  when  the  book 
had  been  lent  me  in  the  evening, 
and  was  to  be  returned  the  next 
morning,  lest  it  might  be  missed  or 
wanted ! 

At  length,  Matthew  Adams,  an 
ingenious  tradesman,  who  had  a 
handsome  collection  of  books,  and 
who  frequented  our  printing-house, 
took  notice  of  me.  He  invited  me 
to  see  his  library,  and  had  the 
goodness  to  lend  me  any  books  I 


36  LIFE  OF 


was  desirous  of  reading.  I  then 
took  a  strange  fancy  for  poetry, 
and  composed  several  little  pieces. 
My  brother,  thinking  he  might  find 
his  account  in  it,  encouraged  me, 
and  engaged  me  to  write  two  bal 
lads.  One,  called  the  Light-house 
Tragedy,  containing  an  account 
of  the  shipwreck  of  Captain  Wor- 
thilake  and  his  two  daughters  ;  the 
other  was  a  sailor's  song  on  the 
capture  of  the  noted  pirate  called 
Black-Beard.  They  were  wretch 
ed  verses  in  point  of  style,  mere 
blind-man's  ditties.  When  printed 
he  despatched  me  about  the  town 
to  sell  them.  The  first  had  a  pro 
digious  run,  because  the  event  was 
recent  and  had  made  a  great  noise. 
My  vanity  was  flattered  by  this 
success ;  but  my  father  checked 


BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  37 


my  exultation,  by  ridiculing  my 
productions,  and  telling  me  that 
versifiers  were  always  poor.  I 
thus  escaped  the  misfortune  of 
being  probably  a  very  wretched 
poet. 

There  was  in  the  town  another 
young  man,  a  great  lover  of  books, 
of  the  name  of  John  Collins,  with 
whom  I  was  intimately  connected. 
We  frequently  engaged  in  dispute, 
and  were  indeed  so  fond  of  argu 
mentation,  that  nothing  was  so 
agreeable  to  us  as  a  war  of  words. 
This  contentious  temper,  I  would 
observe  by  the  bye,  is  in  danger 
of  becoming  a  very  bad  habit,  and 
frequently  renders  a  man's  com 
pany  insupportable,  as  being  no 
otherwise  capable  of  indulgence 
than  by  indiscriminate-  contradic- 


38  LIFE  OF 


tion.  Independently  of  the  acri 
mony  and  discord  it  introduces  into 
conversation,  it  is  often  productive 
of  dislike,  and  even  hatred,  between 
persons  to  whom  friendship  is  in 
dispensably  necessary.  I  acquired 
it  by  reading,  while  I  lived  with 
my  father,  in  books  of  religious 
controversy.  I  have  since  re 
marked,  that  men  of  sense  and 
good  education  seldom  fall  into  this 
error. 

When  about  sixteen  years  of  age, 
a  work  of  Try  on  fell  into  my  hands, 
in  which  he  recommends  vegetable 
diet.  I  determined  .to  observe  it. 
My  brother,  being  a  bachelor,  did 
not  keep  house,  but  boarded  with 
his  apprentices  in  a  neighbouring 
family.  My  refusing  to  eat  animal 
food  was  found  inconvenient,  and  I 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  39 

was  often  scolded  for  my  singularity. 
I  attended  to  the  mode  in  which 
Tryon  prepared  some  of  his  dishes, 
particularly  how  to  boil  potatoes 
and  rice,  and  make  hasty  puddings. 
I  then  said  to  my  brother,  that  if 
he  would  allow  me  per  week  half 
what  he  paid  for  my  board,  I  would 
undertake  to  maintain  myself.  The 
offer  was  instantly  embraced,  and 
I  soon  found  that  of  what  he  gave 
me,  I  was  able  to  save  half.  This 
was  a  new  fund  for  the  purchase 
of  books,  and  other  advantages  re 
sulted  to  me  from  the  plan.  When 
my  brother  and  his  workmen  left 
the  printing-house  to  go  to  dinner, 
I  remained  behind,  and  despatched 
my  frugal  meal,  which  frequently 
consisted  of  a  biscuit  only,  or  a 
slice  of  bread  and  a  bunch  of 


40  LIFE  OF 


raisins,  or  a  bun  from  the  pastry 
cook's,  with  a  glass  of  water;  I 
had  the  rest  of  the  time,  till  their 
return,  for  study,  and  my  progress 
therein  was  proportioned  to  that 
clearness  of  ideas,  and  quickness 
of  conception,  which  are  the  fruit 
of  temperance  in  eating  and  drink 
ing. 

It  was  about  this  period  that, 
having  one  day  been  put  to  the 
blush  for  my  ignorance  in  the  art 
of  calculation,  which  I  had  twice 
failed  to  learn  while  at  school,  I 
took  up  Cocker's  Treatise  of  A  rith- 
metic,  and  went  through  it  by  my 
self  with  the  greatest  ease ;  I  also 
read  a  book  of  navigation,  by  Seller 
and  Sturmy,  and  made  myself 
master  of  the  little  geometry  it 
contains;  but  I  never  proceeded 


BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN.  41 


far  in  this  science.  Nearly  at  the 
same  time,  I  read  Locke  on  the 
Human  Understanding,  and  the  Art 
of  Thinking,  by  Messrs.  Du  Port- 
Royal. 

While  labouring  to  form  and 
improve  my  style  I  met  with  an 
English  Grammar,  which  I  believe 
was  Greenwood's,  having  at  the 
end  of  it  two  little  essays  on  rhetoric 
and  logic.  In  the  latter  I  found  a 
model  of  disputation  after  the 
manner  of  Socrates.  Shortly  after 
I  procured  Xenophon's  work,  enti 
tled,  Memorable  Things  of  Socrates, 
in  which  are  various  examples  of 
the  same  method.  Charmed  to  a 
degree  of  enthusiasm  with  this 
mode  of  disputing,  I  adopted  it, 
and  renouncing  blunt  contradiction, 
and  direct  and  positive  argument, 


42  LIFE    OF 

I  assumed  tho  character  of  an 
humble  questioner.  I  found  So- 
crates's  method  to  be  both  the 
safest  for  myself,  as  well  as  the 
most  embarrassing  to  those  against 
whom  I  employed  it.  It  soon 
afforded  me  singular  pleasure  :  I 
incessantly  practised  it,  and  became 
very  adroit  in  obtaining,  even  from 
persons  of  superior  understanding, 
concessions  of  which  they  did  not 
foresee  the  consequences.  Thus  I 
involved  them  in  difficulties  from 
which  they  were  unable  to  extri 
cate  themselves,  and  sometimes 
obtained  victories,  which  neither 
my  cause  nor  my  arguments  me 
rited. 

In  1720,  or  1721,  my  brother 
began  to  print  a  new  public  paper. 
It  was  the  second  that  made  its 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  43 

appearance  in  America,  and  was 
entitled  "  The  New  England  Cour- 
ant."  The  only  one  that  existed  be 
fore  was  the  "  Boston  News-Letter." 
Some  of  his  friends,  1  remember, 
would  have  dissuaded  him  from 
this  undertaking,  as  a  thing  that 
was  not  likely  to  succeed  ;  a  single 
newspaper  being,  in  their  opinion, 
sufficient  for  all  America.  At  pre 
sent,  however,  in  1777,  there  are 
no  less  than  twenty-five.  But  he 
carried  his  project  into  execution, 
and  I  was  employed  in  distributing 
the  copies  to  his  customers,  after 
having  assisted  in  composing  and 
working  them  off. 

Among  his  friends  he  had  a 
number  of  literary  characters,  who, 
as  an  amusement,  wrote  short  es 
says  for  the  paper,  which  gave  it 


44  LIFE  OF 


reputation  and  increased  its  sale. 
These  gentlemen  came  frequently 
to  our  house.  I  heard  the  conver 
sation  that  passed,  and  the  accounts 
they  gave  of  the  favourable  recep 
tion  of  their  writings  with  the  pub 
lic.  I  was  tempted  to  try  my  hand 
among  them ;  but,  being  still  a 
child  as  it  were,  I  was  fearful  .that 
my  brother  might  be  unwilling  to 
print  in  his  paper  any  performance 
of  which  he  should  know  me  to  be 
the  author.  I  therefore  contrived 
to  disguise  my  hand,  and  having 
written  an  anonymous  piece,  I 
placed  it  at  night  under  the  door  of 
the  printing-house,  where  it  was 
found  the  next  morning.  My 
brother  communicated  it  to  his 
friends,  when  they  came  as  usual 
to  see  him,  who  read  it,  commented 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  45 


upon  it  within  my  hearing,  and  I 
had  the  exquisite  pleasure  to  find 
that  it  met  with  approbation,  and 
that,  in  the  various  conjectures  they 
made  respecting  the  author,  no  one 
was  mentioned  who  did  not  enjoy 
a  high  reputation  in  the  country 
for  talents  and  genius.  I  now  sup 
posed  myself  fortunate  in  my  judges, 
and  began  to  suspect  that  they  were 
not.  such  excellent  writers  as  I  had 
hitherto  supposed  them.  Be  that 
as  it  may,  encouraged  by  this  little 
adventure,  I  wrote  and  sent  to  the 
press,  in  the  same  way,  many  other 
pieces,  which  were  equally  appro 
ved  ;  keeping  the  secret  till  my 
slender  stock  of  information  and 
knowledge  for  such  performances 
was  completely  exhausted,  when  I 
made  myself  known. 


46  LIFE  OF 

My  brother,  upon  this  discovery, 
began  to  entertain  a  little  more  re 
spect  for  me ;  but  he  still  regarded 
himself  as  my  master,  and  treated 
me  like  an  apprentice.  He  thought 
himself  entitled  to  the  same  ser 
vices  from  me  as  from  any  other 
person.  On  the  contrary,  I  con 
ceived  that  in  many  instances,  he 
was  too  rigorous,  and  that,  on  the 
part  of  a  brother,  I  had  a  right  to 
expect  greater  indulgence.  Our 
disputes  were  frequently  brought 
before  my  father,  and  either  my 
brother  was  generally  in  the  wrong, 
or  I  was  the  better  pleader  of  the 
two,  for  judgment  was  commonly 
given  in  my  favour.  But  my 
brother  was  passionate,  and  often 
had  recourse  to  blows ;  a  circum 
stance  which  1  took  in  very  ill 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  47 


part.  This  severe  and  tyrannical 
treatment  contributed,  I  believe,  to 
imprint  on  my  rnind  that  aversion 
to  arbitrary  power,  which  during 
my  whole  life  I  have  ever  pre 
served.  My  apprenticeship  be 
came  insupportable  to  me,  and  I 
continually  sighed  for  an  oppor 
tunity  of  shortening  it,  which  at 
length  unexpectedly  offered. 

An  article  inserted  in  our  paper, 
upon  some  political  subject  which 
I  have  now  forgotten,  gave  offence 
to  the  assembly.  My  brother  was 
taken  into  custody,  censured,  and 
ordered  into  confinement  for  a 
month,  because,  as  I  presume,  he 
would  not  discover  the  author.  I 
was  also  taken  up,  and  examined 
before  the  council ;  but,  though  I 
gave  them  no  satisfaction,  they 


48  LIFE  OF 


contented  themselves  with  repri 
manding,  and  then  dismissed  me ; 
considering  me,  probably,  as  bound, 
in  quality  of  apprentice,  to  keep 
my  master's  secrets. 

The  imprisonment  of  my  bro 
ther  kindled  my  resentment,  not 
withstanding  our  private  quarrels. 
During  its  continuance,  the  man 
agement  of  the  paper  was  entrusted 
to  me,  and  I  was  bold  enough  to 
insert  some  pasquindes  against  the 
governors,  which  highly  pleased 
my  brother,  while  others  began  to 
look  upon  me  in  an  unfavourable 
point  of  view,  considering  me  as  a 
young  wit,  inclined  to  satire  and 
lampoon. 

My  brother's  enlargement  was 
accompanied  with  an  arbitrary  or 
der  from  the  House  of  Assembly, 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  49 


"  That  James  Franklin  should  no 
longer  print  the  newspaper  entitled, 
The  New  England  Courant."  In 
this  conjuncture,  we  held  a  con 
sultation  of  our  friends,  at  the  print 
ing-house,  in  order  to  determine 
what  was  proper  to  be  done.  Some 
proposed  to  evade  the  order,  by 
changing  the  title  of  the  paper; 
but  my  brother  foreseeing  incon 
veniences  that  would  result  from 
this  step,  thought  it  better  that  it 
should  in  future  be  printed  in  the 
name  of  Benjamin  Franklin ;  and 
to  avoid  the  censure  of  the  Assem 
bly,  who  might  charge  him  with 
printing  the  paper  himself,  under 
the  name  of  his  apprentice,  it  was 
resolved  that  my  old  indentures 
should  be  given  up  to  me,  with  a 
full  and  entire  discharge  written  on 


50  LIFE  OF 


the  back,  in  order  to  be  produced 
upon  an  emergency  ;  but  that,  to 
secure  to  my  brother  the  benefit  of 
my  service,  I  should  sign  a  new 
contract,  which  should  be  kept 
secret  during  the  remainder  of  the 
term.  This  was  -a  very  shallow 
arrangement.  It  was,  however, 
carried  into  immediate  execution, 
and  the  paper  continued,  in  con 
sequence,  to  make  its  appearance 
for  some  months  in  my  name.  At 
length,  a  new  difference  arising 
between  my  brother  and  me,  I 
ventured  to  take  advantage  of  my 
liberty,  presuming  that  he  would 
not  dare  to  produce  the  new  con 
tract.  It  was  undoubtedly  dis 
honourable  to  avail  myself  of  this 
circumstance,  and  I  reckon  this 
action  as  one  of  the  first  errors  of 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  51 


my  life  ;  but  I  was  little  capable  of 
estimating  it  at  its  true  value,  em 
bittered  as  my  mind  had  been  by 
the  recollection  of  the  blows  I  had 
received.  Exclusively  of  his  pas 
sionate  treatment  of  me,  my  brother 
was  by  no  means  a  man  of  an  ill 
temper,  and  perhaps  my  manners 
had  too  much  of  impertinence  not 
to  afford  it  a  very  natural  pretext. 
When  he  knew  that  it  was  my 
determination  to  quit  .him,  he  wish 
ed  to  prevent  my  finding  employ 
ment  elsewhere.  He  went  to  all 
the  printing-houses  in  the  town, 
and  prejudiced  the  masters  against 
me,  who  accordingly  refused  to 
employ  me.  The  idea  then  sug 
gested  itself  to  me  of  going  to 
New  York,  the  nearest  town  in 
which  there  was  a  printing-office. 


52  LIFE  OF 


Farther  reflections  confirmed  me 
in  the  design  of  leaving  Boston, 
where  I  had  already  rendered  my 
self  an  object  of  suspicion  to  the 
governing  party.  It  was  probable, 
from  the  arbitrary  proceedings  of 
the  Assembly  in  the  affair  of  my 
brother,  that,  by  remaining,  I  should 
soon  have  been  exposed  to  difficul 
ties,  which  I  had  the  greater  reason 
to  apprehend,  as,  from  my  indiscreet 
disputes  upon  the  subject  of  religion, 
I  begun  to  be  regarded  by  pious 
souls  with  horror,  either  as  an 
apostate  or  an  atheist.  I  came, 
therefore,  to  a  resolution ;  but  my 
father,  in  this  instance,  siding  with 
my  brother,  I  presumed  that  if  I 
attempted  to  depart  openly,  mea 
sures  would  be  taken  to  prevent 
me.  My  friend  Collins  undertook 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  55 


to  favour  my  flight.  He  agreed 
for  my  passage  with  the  captain  of 
a  New  York  sloop,  to  whom  he  re 
presented  me  as  a  young  man  of 
his  acquaintance,  who  had  an  affair 
with  a  girl  of  bad  character,  whose 
parents  wished  to  compel  me  to 
marry  her,  and  that,  of  consequence, 
I  could  neither  make  my  appear 
ance  nor  go  off  publicly.  I  sold 
part  of  my  books  to  procure  a 
small  sum  of  money,  and  went 
privately  on  board  the  sloop.  By 
favour  of  a  good  wind,  I  found 
myself  in  three  days  at  New  York, 
nearly  three  hundred  miles  from 
my  home,  at  the  age  only  of 
seventeen  years,  without  knowing 
an  individual  in  the  place,  and  with 
very  little  money  in  my  pocket. 
The  inclination  I  had  felt  for  a 


56  LIFE  OF 


seafaring  life  was  entirely  subsided, 
or  I  should  now  have  been  able  to 
gratify  it ;  but  having  another  trade, 
and  believing  myself  to  be  a  toler 
able  workman,  I  hesitated  not  to 
offer  my  services  to  the  old  Mr. 
William  Bradford,  who  had  been 
the  first  printer  in  Pennsylvania, 
but  had  quitted  that  province  on 
account  of  a  quarrel  with  George 
Keith,  the  governor.  He  could 
not  give  me  employment  himself, 
having  little  to  do,  and  already  as 
many  hands  as  he  wanted ;  but  he 
told  me  that  his  son,  a  printer  at 
Philadelphia,  had  lately  lost  his 
principal  workman,  Aquila  Rose, 
who  was  dead,  and  that  if  I  would 
go  thither,  he  believed  that  he  would 
engage  me.  Philadelphia  was  one 
hundred  miles  farther.  I  hesitated 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  57 

not  to  embark,  in  a  boat  in  order  to 
repair  by  the  shortest  cut  of  the 
sea  to  Amboy,  leaving  my  trunk 
and  effects  to  come  after  me  by  the 
usual  and  more  tedious  conveyance. 
In  crossing  the  bay  we  met  with  a 
squall,  which  shattered  to  pieces 
our  rotten  sails,  prevented  us  from 
entering  the  Kill,  and  threw  us  up 
on  Long-Island. 

During  the  squall,  a  drunken 
Dutchman,  who,  like  myself,  was 
a  passenger  in  the  boat,  fell  into 
the  sea ;  I  seized  him  by  the  fore- 
top,  saved  him  and  drew  him  on 
board.  This  immersion  sobered 
him  a  little,  so  that  he  fell  asleep, 
after  having  taken  from"  his  pocket 
a  volume,  which  he  requested  me 
to  dry.  This  volume  I  found  to 
be  my  old  favourite  work,  Bunyan's 


58  LIFE  OF 


Voyages,  in  Dutch,  a  beautiful  im 
pression  on  fine  paper,  with  copper 
plate  engravings,  a  dress  in  which 
I  had  never  seen  it  in  its  original 
language.  I  have  since  learned, 
that  it  has  been  translated  into 
almost  all  the  languages  of  Europe, 
and,  next  to  the  Bible,  I  am  per 
suaded  it  is  one  of  the  books  which 
has  had  the  greatest  spread.  Hon 
est  John  is  the  first  that  I  know  of 
who  has  mixed  narrative  and  dia 
logue  together ;  a  mode  of  writing 
very  engaging  to  the  reader,  who, 
in  the  most  interesting  passages, 
finds  himself  admitted,  as  it  were, 
into  the  company,  and  present  at 
the  conversation.  De  Foe  has 
imitated  it  with  success  in  his  Ro 
binson  Crusoe,  his  Moll  Flanders, 
and  other  works. 


BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN.  59 

In  approaching  the  island  we 
found  that  we  had  made  a  part  of 
the  coast  where  it  was  not  possible 
to  land,  on  account  of  the  strong 
breakers,  produced  by  the  rocky 
shore.  We  cast  anchor,  and 
veered  the  cable  toward  the  shore. 
Some  men,  who  stood  upon  the 
brink,  hallooed  to  us,  while  we  did 
the  same  on  our  part;  but  the 
wind  was  so  high,  and  the  waves 
so  noisy,  that  we  could  neither  of 
us  hear  each  other.  There  were 
some  canoes  upon  the  bank,  and 
we  called  out  to  them,  and  made 
signs  to  prevail  on  them  to  come 
and  take  us  up;  but  either  they 
did  no*  understand  us,  or  they 
deemed  our  request  impracticable, 
and  with  Irew.  Night  came  on, 
and  nothing  remained  for  us  but  to 


60  LIFE  OF 


wait  the  subsiding  of  the  wind; 
till  when  we  determined,  that  is, 
the  pilot  and  I,  to  sleep  if  possible. 
For  that  purpose,  we  went  below 
the  hatches,  along  with  the  Dutch 
man,  who  was  drenched  with  water. 
The  sea  broke  over  the  boat,  and 
reached  us  in  our  retreat,  so  that 
we  are  presently  as  completely 
drenched  as  he. 

We  had  very  little  repose  during 
the  whole  night ;  but  the  wind 
abating  the  next  day,  we  succeeded 
in  reaching  Am  boy  before  it  was 
dark,  after  having  passed  thirty 
hours  without  provisions,  and  with 
no  other  drink  than  a  bottle  of  bad 
rum,  the  water  upon  which  we 
rowed  being  salt.  In  the  evening 
I  went  to  bed  with  a  very  violent 
fever.  I  had  somewhere  read  that 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  61 

cold  water,  drank  plentifully,  was 
a  remedy  in  such  cases.  I  fol 
lowed  the  prescription,  was  in  a 
profuse  sweat  for  the  greater  part 
of  the  night,  and  the  fever  left  me. 
The  next  day  I  crossed  the  river 
in  a  ferryboat,  and  continued  my 
journey  on  foot.  I  had  fifty  miles 
to  walk,  in  order  to  reach  Burling 
ton,  where  I  was  told  I  should  find 
passage- boats  that  would  convey 
me  to  Philadelphia.  It  rained  hard 
the  whole  day,  so  that  I  was  wet 
to  the  skin.  Finding  myself  fa 
tigued  about  noon,  I  stopped  at  a 
paltry  inn,  where  I  passed  the  rest 
of  the  day,  and  the  whole  night, 
beginning  to  regret  that  I  had  quit 
ted  my  home.  I  made,  besides,  so 
wretched  a  figure,  that  I  was  sus 
pected  to  be  some  run-away  ser- 


62  LIFE  OF 


vant.  This  I  discovered  by  the 
questions  that  were  asked  me,  and 
I  felt  that  I  was  every  moment  in 
danger  of  being  taken  up  as  such. 
The  next  day,  however,  I  continued 
my  journey,  and  arrived  in  the 
evening  at  an  inn,  eight  or  ten 
miles  from  Burlington,  that  was 
kept  by  one  Dr.  Brown. 

This  man  entered  into  conver 
sation  with  me,  while  I  took  some 
refreshment,  and  perceiving  that  I 
had  read  a  little,  he  expressed 
towards  me  considerable  interest 
and  friendship.  Our  acquaintance 
continued  during  the  remainder  of 
his  life.  I  believe  him  to  have 
been  what  is  called  an v  itinerant 
doctor,  for  there  was  no  town  in 
England,  or  indeed  in  Europe,  of 
which  he  could  not  give  a  particular 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  63 

account.  I  spent  the  night  here, 
and  reached  Burlington  the  next 
morning.  On  my  arrival,  I  had 
the  mortification  to  learn,  that  the 
ordinary  passage-boats  had  sailed 
a  little  before.  This  was  on  a 
Saturday,  and  there  would  be  no 
other  till  the  Tuesday  following. 
I  returned  to  the  house  of  an  old 
woman  in  the  town,  who  had  sold 
me  some  gingerbread  to  eat  on  my 
passage,  and  I  asked  her  advice. 
She  invited  me  to  take  up  my 
abode  with  her  till  an  opportunity 
offered  for  me  to  embark.  Fa 
tigued  with  having  travelled  so  far 
on  foot,  I  accepted  her  invitation. 
When  she  understood  that  I  was  a 
printer,  she  would  have  persuaded 
me  to  stay  at  Burlington,  and  set 
up  my  trade,  but  she  was  little 


64  LIFE    OF 


aware  of  the  capital  that  would  be 
necessary  for  such  a  purpose.  I 
was  treated,  while  at  her  house, 
with  true  hospitality.  She  gave 
me,  with  the  utmost  good-will,  a 
dinner  of  beef-steaks,  and  would 
accept  of  nothing  in  return  but  a 
pint  of  ale. 

Here  I  imagined  myself  to  be 
fixed  till  the  Tuesday  in  the  ensuing 
week ;  but  walking  out  in  the  eve 
ning,  by  the  river  side,  I  saw  a 
boat,  with  a  number  of  persons  in 
it,  approach.  It  was ,  going  to 
Philadelphia,  and  the  company  took 
me  in.  As  there  was  no  wind,  we 
could  only  make  way  with  our 
oars.  About  midnight,  not  per 
ceiving  the  town,  some  of  the 
company  were  of  opinion  that  we 
must  have  passed  it,  and  were  un- 


BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  65 


willing  to  row  any  farther,  the  rest 
not  knowing  where  we  were,  it  was 
resolved  that  we  should  stop.  We 
drew  towards  the  shore,  entered  a 
creek,  and  landed  near  some  old 
palisades,  which  served  us  for  fire 
wood,  it  being  a  cold  night  in  Octo 
ber.  Here  we  stayed  till  day,  when 
one  of  the  company  found  the  place 
in  which  we  were  to  be  Cooper's 
Creek,  a  little  above  Philadelphia, 
which  in  reality  we  perceived  the 
moment  we  were  out  of  the  creek. 
We  arrived  on  Sunday  about  eight 
or  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and 
landed  on  Market  Street  wharf. 

I  have  entered  into  the  particulars 
of  my  voyage,  and  shall,  in  like 
manner,  describe  my  first  entrance 
into  this  city,  that  you  may  be  able 
to  compare  beginnings  so  little  aus- 


66 


picious,    with    the    figure   I    have 
since  made. 

On  my  arrival  at  Philadelphia, 
I  was  in  my  work  ing- dress,  my 
best  clothes  being  to  come  by  sea. 
I  was  covered  with  dirt,  my  pockets 
were  filled  with  shirts  and  stock 
ings,  I  was  unacquainted  with  a 
single  soul  in  the  place,  and  knew 
not  where  to  seek  for  a  lodging. 
Fatigued  with  walking,  rowing,  and 
having  passed  the  night  without 
sleep,  I  was  extremely  hungry,  and 
all  my  money  consisted  of  a  Dutch 
dollar,  and  about  a  shilling's  worth 
of  coppers,  which  I  gave  to  the 
boatmen  for  my  passage.  As  I 
had  assisted  them  in  rowing,  they 
refused  it  at  first,  but  I  insisted  on 
their  taking  it.  A  man  is  some 
times  more  generous  when  he  has 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  69 

little,  than  when  he  has  much  mo 
ney,  probably  because,  in  the  first 
case,  he  is  desirous  of  concealing 
his  poverty. 

I  walked  towards  the  top  of  the 
street,  looking  eagerly  on  both 
sides,  till  I  came  to  Market  street, 
where  I  met  a  child  with  a  loaf  of 
bread.  Often  had  I  made  my  din 
ner  on  dry  bread.  I  inquired  where 
he  had  bought  it,  and  went  straight 
to  the  baker's  shop  which  he  point 
ed  out  to  me.  I  asked  for  some 
biscuits,  expecting  to  find  such  as 
we  had  at  Boston  ;  but  they  made, 
it  seems,  none  of  that  sort  in  Phila 
delphia — I  then  asked  for  a  three 
penny  loaf;  they  made  no  loaves 
of  that  price.  Finding  myself 
ignorant  of  the  prices  as  well  as  of 
the  different  kinds  of  bread,  I  de- 


70  LIFE  OF 

sired  him  to  let  me  have  three 
penny  worth  of  bread  of  some  kind 
or  other.  He  gave  me  three  large 
rolls.  I  was  surprised  at  receiving 
so  much  ;  I  took  them,  however, 
and  having  no  room  in  my  pockets, 
I  walked  on  with  a  roll  under  each 
arm,  eating  the  third.  In  this 
manner  I  went  through  Market 
street  to  Fourth  street,  and  passed 
the  house  of  Mr.  Read,  the  father 
of  my  future  wife.  She  was  stand 
ing  at  the  door,  observed  me,  and 
thought  with  reason,  that  I  made  a 
very  singular  and  grotesque  appear 
ance. 

I  then  turned  the  corner,  and 
went  through  Chcsnut  street,  eating 
my  roll  all  the  way ;  and  having 
made  this  round,  I  found  myself 
again  on  Market  street  wharf,  near 


BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN.  71 


the  boat  in  which  I  had  arrived.  I 
stepped  into  it  to  take  a  draught  of 
river-water,  and  finding  myself 
satisfied  with  my  first  roll,  I  gave 
the  other  two  to  a  woman  and  her 
child,  who  had  come  down  the 
river  with  us  in  the  hoat,  and  was 
waiting  to  continue  her  journey. 
Thus  refreshed,  I  regained  the  street, 
which  was  now  full  of  well  dressed 
people,  all  going  the  same  way.  I 
joined  them,  and  was  thus  led  to  a 
large  Quaker  meeting-house,  near 
the  market-place.  I  sat  down  with 
the  rest,  and  after  looking  round 
me  for  some  time,  hearing  nothing 
said,  and  being  drowsy  from  my 
last  night's  labour  and  want  of  rest, 
I  fell  into  a  sound  sleep.  In  this 
state  I  continued  till  the  assembly 
dispersed,  when  one  of  the  congre- 


72  LIFE  OF 


gation  had  the  goodness  to  wake 
me.  This  was,  consequently,  the 
first  house  I  entered,  or  in  which  I 
slept  at  Philadelphia. 

I  began  again  to  walk  along  the 
streets  by  the  river  side,  and  look 
ing  attentively  in  the  face  of  every 
one  I  met,  I  at  length  perceived  a 
young  Quaker,  whose  countenance 
pleased  me.  I  accosted  him,  and 
begged  him  to  inform  me  where  a 
stranger  might  find  a  lodging.  We 
were  then  near  the  sign  of  the 
Three  Mariners.  They  receive 
travellers  here,  said  he,  but  it  is  not 
a  house  that  bears  a  good  character  ; 
if  you  will  go  with  me,  I  will  show 
you  a  better  one.  He  conducted 
me  to  the  Crooked  Billet  in  Water 
street.  There  I  ordered  something 
for  dinner,  and  during  my  meal,  a 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  73 


number^  of  curious  questions  were 
put  to  me  ;  my  youth  and  appear 
ance  exciting  the  suspicion  of  my 
being  a  run-away.  After  dinner 
my  drowsiness  returned,  and  I 
threw  myself  upon  a  bed  without 
taking  off  my  clothes,  and  slept 
till  six  in  the  evening,  when  I  was 
called  to  supper.  I  afterwards 
went  to  bed  at  a  very  early  hour, 
and  did  not  wake  till  the  next 
morning. 

As  soon  as  I  got  up,  I  put  myself 
in  as  decent  a  trim  as  I  could,  and 
went  to  the  house  of  Andrew  Brad 
ford,  the  printer.  I  found  his  father 
in  the  shop,  whom  I  had  seen  at 
New  York.  Having  travelled  on 
horseback,  he  had  arrived  at  Phila 
delphia  before  me.  He  introduced 
me  to  his  son,  who  received  me 


74  LIFE  OF 


with  civility,  and  gave -me  some 
breakfast ;  but  told  me  hc3  had  no 
occasion  for  a  journeyman,  having 
lately  procured  one.  He  added, 
that  there  was  another  printer  newly 
settled  in  the  town,  of  the  name  of 
Keimer,  who  might  perhaps  employ 
me;  and  in  case  of  a  refusal,  I 
should  be  welcome  to  lodge  at  his 
house,  and  he  would  give  me  a 
little  work  now  and  then,  till  some 
thing  better  should  offer. 

The  old  man  offered  to  introduce 
me  to  the  new  printer.  When  we 
were  at  his  house,  "  Neighbour, 
(said  he)  I  bring  you  a  young  man 
in  the  printing  business,  perhaps 
you  may  have  need  of  his  services." 
Keimer  asked  me  some  questions, 
put  a  composing-stick  in  my  hand 
to  see  how  I  could  work,  and  then 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  75 

said,  that  at  present  he  had  nothing 
for  me  to  do,  but  that  he  should 
soon  be  able  to  employ  me.  At 
the  same  time,  taking  old  Bradford 
for  an  inhabitant  of  the  town  well 
disposed  towards  him,  he  commu 
nicated  his  project  to  him,  and  the 
prospect  he  had  of  success.  Brad 
ford  was  careful  not  to  discover 
that  he  was  the  father  of  the  other 
printer ;  and  from  what  Keirner 
had  said,  that  he  hoped  shortly  to 
be  in  possession  of  the  greater  part 
of  the  business  of  the  town,  led 
him,  by  artful  questions,  and  by 
starting  some  difficulties,  to  disclose 
all  his  views,  what  his  hopes  were 
founded  upon,  and  how  he  intended 
to  proceed.  I  was  present,  and 
heard  it  all.  I  instantly  saw  that 
one  of  the  two  was  a  cunning  old 


76  LIFE  OF 


fox,  and  the  other  a  perfect  novice. 
Bradford  left  me  with  Keimer,  who 
was  strangely  surprised  when  I 
informed  him  who  the  old  man  was. 
I  found  Keimer's  printing  ma 
terials  to  consist  of  an  old  damaged 
press,  and  a  small  font  of  worn- 
out  English  letters,  with  which  he 
was  himself  at  work  upon  an  Elegy 
on  Aquila  Rose,  whom  .  I  have 
mentioned  above,  an  ingenious 
young  man,  and  of  an  excellent 
character,  highly  esteemed  in  the 
town,  secretary  to  the  assembly, 
and  a  very  tolerable  poet.  Keimer 
also  made  verses,  but  they  were 
indifferent  ones.  He  could  not  be 
said  to  write  in  verse,  for  his  me 
thod  was,  to  take  and  set  the  lines 
as  they  flowed  from  his  muse  ;  and, 
as  lie  worked  without  copy,  had 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  77 

but  one  set  of  letter-cases,  and  the 
elegy  would  probably  occupy  all 
his  type,  it  was  impossible  for  any 
one  to  assist  him.  I  endeavoured 
to  put  his  press  in  order,  which  he 
had  not  yet  used,  and  of  which  in 
deed  he  understood  nothing;  and 
having -promised  to  come  and  work 
off  his  elegy  as  soon  as  it  should 
be  ready,  I  returned  to  the  house 
of  Bradford,  who  gave  me  some 
trifle  to  do  for  the  present,  for  which 
I  had  my  board  and  lodging. 

In  a  few  days  Keimer  sent  for  me 
to  print  off  his  elegy.  He  had  now 
procured  another  set  of  letter-cases, 
and  had  a  pamphlet  to  reprint,  up 
on  which  he  set  me  to  work.  He 
could  not  endure  that,  I  should  lodge 
at  Bradford's.  He  had  indeed  a 
house,  but  it  was  unfurnished,  so 


I    78  LIFE  OF 

that  he  could  not  take  me  in.     He 
procured    me    a    lodging     at    Mr. 
Read's,  his  landlord,  whom  I  have 
already  mentioned.     My  trunk  and 
effects  being  now  arrived,  I  thought  j 
of  making,  in   the  eyes   of  Miss  j 
Read,  a  more  respectable  appear 
ance  than  when  chance"  exhibited 
I  me  to  her  view,  eating    my  roll, 
|  and  wandering  in  the  streets. 

From  this  period  I  began  to 
contract  acquaintance  with  such 
young  people  of  the  town  as  were 
fond  of  reading,  and  spent  rny 
evenings  with  them  agreeably, 
while  at  the  same  time,  I  gained 
money  by  my  industry,  and,  thanks 
to  my  frugality,  lived  contented. 
I  thus  forgot  Boston  as  much  as 
possible,  and  wished  every  one  to 
be  ignorant  of  the  place  of  my 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  79 

|  residence,  except  my  friend  Collins, 
j  to  whom  I  wrote,  and  who  kept 
j  my  secret. 

An  incident  however  occurred, 
!  which  sent  me  home  sooner  than  I 
I  had  proposed.     I  had  a  brother-in- 
:  law,  of  the  name  of  Robert  Holmes, 
j  master   of  a   trading   sloop    from 
'  Boston    to    Delaware.      Being   a!t 
;  Newcastle,  forty  miles  below  Phila- 
1  delphia,    he    heard    of    me,    and 
|  wrote  to  inform  me  of  the  chagrin 
which  my  sudden  departure  from 
Boston  had  occasioned  my  parents, 
and   of  the   affection  which  they 
still  entertained    for  me,  assuring 
me  that,  if  I  would  return,  every 
thing   should    be   adjusted  to  my 
satisfaction ;     and    he   was    very 
pressing  in   his  entreaties.     I  an 
swered  his  letter,  thanked  him  for 


80  LIFE  OF 


his  advice,  and  explained  the  rea 
sons  which  had  induced  me  to  quit 
Boston,  with  such  force  and  clear 
ness,  that  he  was  convinced  I  had 
been  less  to  blame  than  he  had 
imagined. 

Sir  William  Keith,"  governor  of 
the  province,  was  at  Newcastle  at 
the  time.  Captain  Holmes,  being 
'by  chance  in  his  company  when 
he  received  my  letter,  took  occasion 
to  speak  of  me,  and  showed  it  him. 
The  governor  read  it,  and  appeared 
surprised  when  he  learned  my  age. 
He  thought  me,  he  said,  a  young 
man  of  very  promising  talents, 
and  that,  of  consequence,  I  ought 
fo  be  encouraged  ;  that  there  were 
at  Philadelphia  none  but  very 
ignorant  printers,  and  that  if  I 
were  to  set  up  for  myself,  he  had 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  81 


no  doubt  of  my  success ;  that,  for 
his  own  part,  he  would  procure  me 
all  the  public  business,  and  would 
render  me  every  other  service  in 
his  power.  My  brother-in-law  re 
lated  all  this  to  me  afterwards  at 
Boston,  but  I  knew  nothing  of  it 
at  the  time ;  when  one  day,  Keimer 
and  I  being  at  work  together  near 
the  window,  we  saw  the  governor* 
and  another  gentleman,  Colonel 
French,  of  Newcastle,  handsomely 
dressed,  cross  the  street,  and  make 
directly  for  our  house.  We  heard 
them  at  the  door,  and  Keimer,  be 
lieving  it  to  be  a  visit  to  himself, 
went  immediately  down ;  but  the 
governor  inquired  for  me,  came  up 
stairs,  and  with  a  condescension 
and  politeness  to  which  I  had  not  at 
all  been  accustomed,  paid  me  many 


82  LIFE  OF 


complimen  s, desired  to  be  acquaint 
ed  with  m< ,  obligingly  reproached 
me  for  not  having  made  myself 
known  to  lim  on  my  arrival  in 
the  town,  an  I  wished  me  to  accom 
pany  him  to  a  tavern,  where  he 
and  Colonel  French  were  going  to 
taste  some  ex  -client  Madeira  wine. 
I  was,  I  coi  fess,  somewhat  suij 
prised,  and  K(  mcr  appeared  thun 
derstruck.  I  x  'ent,  however,  with 
the  governor  a  id  the  colonel  to  a 
tavern  at  the  coi  ncr  of  Third  street, 
where,  while  we  were  drinking  the 
Madeira,  he  proposed  to  me  to 
establish  a  printing-house.  He  set 
forth  the  probabilities  of  success, 
and  himself  and  Colonel  French 
assured  me,  that  I  should  have 
their  protection  and  influence  in 
obtaining  the  printing  of  the  pub- 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  83 

lie  papers  of  both  governments ; 
and  as  I  appeared  to  doubt  whether 
my  father  would  assist  me  in  this 
enterprise,  Sir  William  said  that 
he  would  give  me  a*  letter  to  him, 
in  which  he  would,  represent  the 
advantages  of  the  scheme  in  a 
light  which  he  had  no  doubt  would 
determine  him.  It  was  thus  con 
cluded,  that  I  should  return  to 
Boston  by  the  first  vessel,  with  the 
letter  of  recommendation  from  the 
governor  to  my  father.  Mean 
while  the  project  was  to  be  kept 
secret,  and  I  continued  to  work  for 
Keimcr  as  before. 

The  governor  sent  every  now 
and  then  to  invite  me  to  dine  with 
him.  I  considered  this  as  a  very 
grcnt  honour,  and  I  was  the  more 
sensible  of  it,  as  he  conversed  with 


84  LIFE  OF 


me  in  the  most  affable,  familiar, 
and  friendly  manner  imaginable. 

Towards  the  end  of  April,  1724, 
a  small  vessel  was  ready  to  sail 
for  Boston.  I  took  leave  of  Keimer, 
upon  the  pretext  of  going  to  see 
my  parents.  The  governor  gave 
me  a  long  letter,  in  which  he  said 
many  flattering  things  of  me' to  my 
father,  and  strongly  recommended 
the  project  of  my  settling  at  Phila 
delphia,  as  a  thing  which  could  not 
fail  to  make  my  fortune. 

Going  down  the  bay,  we  struck 
on  a  flat,  and  sprung  a  leak.  The 
weather  was  very  tempestuous,  and 
we  were  obliged  to  pump  without 
intermission  ;  I  took  my  turn.  We 
arrived,  however,  safe  and  sound 
at  Boston,  after  about  a  fortnight's 
passage. 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  85 


I  had  been  absent  seven  complete 
months,  and  my  relations,  during 
that  interval,  had  received  no  in 
telligence  of  me,  for  rny  brother-in- 
law,  Holmes,  was  not  yet  returned, 
and  had  not  written  about  me.  My 
unexpected  appearance  surprised 
the  family,  but  they  were  all  de 
lighted  at  seeing  me  again,  and, 
except  my  brother,  welcomed  me 
home.  I  went  to  him  at  the  print 
ing-office.  I  was  better  dressed 
than  I  had  ever  been  while  in  his 
service ;  I  had  a  complete  suit  of 
clothes,  new  and  neat,  a  watch  in 
my  pocket,  and  my  purse  was 
furnished  with  nearly  five  pounds 
sterling  in  money.  He  gave  me 
no  very  civil  reception,  and  having 
eyed  me  from  head  to  foot,  resumed 
his  work. 


86  LIFE  or 

The  workmen  asked  me  with 
eagerness  where  I  had  been,  what 
sort  of  a  country  it  was,  and  how 
I  liked  it.  I  spoke  in  the  highest 
terms  of  Philadelphia,  the  happy 
life  we  led  there,  and  expressed  my 
intention  of  going  back  again.  One 
of  them  asked  what  sort  of  money 
we  had  ;  I  displayed  before  them  a 
handful  of  silver,  which  I  drew 
from  my  pocket. "  This  was  a  curi 
osity  to  which  they  were  not  accus 
tomed,  paper  being  the  current 
money  at  Boston.  I  failed  not 
after  this  to  let  them  see  my  watch  ; 
and  at  last,  my  brother  continuing 
sullen  and  out  of  humour,  I  gave 
them  a  shilling  to  drink,  and  took 
my  leave.  This  visit  stung  my 
brother  to  the  soul,  for  when,  shortly 
after,  my  mother  spoke  to  him  of 


BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN.  87 


a  reconciliation,  and  a  desire  of 
seeing  us  upon  good  terms,  he  told 
her  that  I  had  so  insulted  him  be 
fore  his  men,  that  he  never  would 
forget  or  forgive  it ;  in  this,  how 
ever,  he  was  mistaken. 

The  governor's  letter  appeared 
to  excite  in  my  father  some  surprise, 
but  he  said  little.  After  some  days, 
Captain  Holmes  being  returned,  he 
showed  it  him,  asking  him  if  he 
knew  Keith,  and  what  sort  of  a 
man  he  was ;  adding,  that,  in  his 
opinion,  it  proved  very  little  dis 
cernment  to-  think  of  setting  up  a 
boy  in  business,  who  for  three 
years  to  come  would  not  be  of  an 
age  to  be  ranked  in  the  class  of 
men.  Holmes  said  everything  he 
could  in  favour  of  the  scheme ; 
but  my  father  firmly  maintained 


88  LIFE  OF 


its  absurdity,  and  at  last  gave  a 
positive  refusal.  He  wrote,  how 
ever,  a  civil  letter  to  Sir  William, 
thanking  him  for  the  protection  he 
had  so  obligingly  offered  me,  but 
refusing  to  assist  me  for  the  pres 
ent,  because  he  thought  me  too 
young  to  be  intrusted  with  the 
conduct  of  so  important  an  enter 
prise,  and  which  would  require  so 
considerable  a  sum  of  money. 

My  old  comrade  Collins,  who 
was  a  clerk  in  the  post-office, 
charmed  with  the  account  I  gave 
of  my  new  residence,  expressed  a 
desire  of  going  thither  ;  and,  while 
I  waited  my  father's  determination, 
he  set  off  before  me,  by  land,  for 
Rhode  Island,  leaving  his  books, 
which  formed  a  handsome  col 
lection  in  mathematics  and  natural 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  89 

philosophy,  to    be    conveyed  with 
I  mine  to  New  York,  where  he  pur 
posed  to  wait  for  me. 

My  father,  though  he  could  not 
approve  Sir  William's  proposal, 
was  yet  pleased  that  I  had  obtained 
so  advantageous  a  recommendation 
as  that  of  a  person  of  his  rank  ; 
and  that  my  industry  and  economy 
had  enabled  me  to  equip  myself  so 
handsomely  in  so  short  a  period. 
Seeing  no  appearance  of  accom 
modating  matters  between  my 
brother  and  me,  he  consented  to 
my  return  to  Philadelphia,  advised 
me  to  be  civil  to  every  body,  to 
endeavour  to  obtain  general  esteem, 
and  avoid  satire  and  sarcasm,  to 
which  he  thought  I  was  too  much 
inclined ;  adding,  that  with  perse 
verance  and  prudent  economy,  I 


90  LIFE  OF 

might,  by  the  time  I  became  of 
age,  save  enough  to  establish  my 
self  in  business ;  and  that  if  a 
small  sum  should  then  be  wanting, 
he  would  undertake  to  supply  it. 

This  was  all  I  could  obtain  from 
him,  except  some  trifling  presents, 
in  token  of  friendship,  from  him 
and  my  mother.  I  embarked  once 
more  for  New  York,  furnished  at 
this  time  with  their  approbation 
and  blessing.  The  sloop  having 
touched  at  Newport,  in  Rhode 
Island,  I  paid  a  visit  to  my  brother 
John,  who  had  for  some  years 
been  settled  there,  and  was  married. 
He  had  always  been  attached  to 
me,  and  received  me  with  great 
affection.  One  of  his  friends, 
whose  name  was  Vernon,  having 
a  debt  of  about  thirty -six  pounds 


BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  91 


due  to  him  in  Pennsylvania,  begged 
me  to  receive  it  for  him,  and  keep 
the  money  till  I  should  hear  from 
him;  accordingly  he  gave  me  an 
order  for  that  purpose.  This  affair 
occasioned  me,  in  the  sequel,  much 
uneasiness. 

At  Newport  we  took  on  board 
a  number  of  passengers,  among 
whom  were  two  young  women, 
and  a  grave  and  sensible  Quaker 
lady,  with  her  servants.  I  had 
shown  an  obliging  forwardness  in 
rendering  the  Quaker  some  trifling 
services,  which  led  her,  probably, 
to  feel  some  interest  in  my  welfare  ; 
for  when  she  saw  a  familiarity 
take  place,  and  every  day  increase, 
between  the  two  young  women 
and  me,  she  took  me  aside,  and 
said,  "  Young  man,  I  am  in  pain 


92  LIFE  OF 


for  thee.  Thou  hast  no  parent  to 
watch  over  thy  conduct,  and  thou 
seemest  to  be  ignorant  of  the  world, 
and  the  snares  to  which  youth  is 
exposed.  Rely  upon,  what  I  tell 
thee;  these  are  women  of  bad 
characters;  I  perceive  it  in  all 
their  actions.  If  thou  dost  not 
take  care,  they  will  lead  thee  into 
danger.  They  are  strangers  to 
thee,  and  I  advise  thee,  by  the 
friendly  interest  I  take  in  thy  pre 
servation,  to  form  no  connexion 
with  them."  As  I  appeared  at 
first  not  to  think  quite  so  ill  of 
them  as  she  did,  she  related  many 
things  she  had  seen  and  heard, 
which  had  escaped  my  attention, 
but  which  cgnvinced  me  she  was  in 
the  right.  I  thanked  her  for  her 
advice,  and  promised  to  follow  it. 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  93 


When  we  arrived  at  New  York, 
they  informed  me  where  they  lodged, 
and  invited  me  to  come  and  see 
them.  I  did  not,  however,  go,  and 
it  was  well  I  did  not ;  for,  the  next 
day,  the  captain  missing  a  silver 
spoon,  and  some  other  things  which 
had  been  taken  from  the  cabin,  aijd 
knowing  these  women  to  be  pros 
titutes,  procured  a  search  warrant, 
found  the  stolen  goods  upgn  them, 
and  had  them  punished.  And  thus, 
after  having  been  saved  from  one 
rock  concealed  under  water,  upon 
which  the  vessel  had  struck  during 
our  passage,  I  escaped  another  of 
a  still  more  dangerous  nature. 

At  New  York  I  found  my  friend 
Collins,  who  had  arrived  some  time 
before.  We  had  been  intimate 
from  our  infancy,  and  had  the 


94  LIFE  OF 


same  books  together ;  but  he  had 
the  advantage  of  being  able  to  de 
vote  more  time  to  reading  and  study, 
and  an  astonishing  disposition  for 
mathematics,  in  which  he  left  me 
far  behind.  When  at  Boston,  I  had 
been  accustomed  to  pass  with  him 
almost  all  my  leisure  hours.  He 
was  then  a  sober  and  industrious 
lad  ;  his  knowledge  had  gained  him 
a  very  general  esteem,  and  'he 
seemed  to  promise  to  make  an  ad 
vantageous  figure  in  society.  But, 
during  my  absence  he  had  unfor 
tunately  addicted  himself  to  brandy, 
and  I  learned,  as  well  from  himself  as 
from  the  report  of  others,  that  every 
day  since  his  arrival  at  New  York 
he  had  been  intoxicated,  and  had 
acted  in  a  very  extravagant  manner. 
He  had  also  played,  and  lost  all  his 


BENJAMIN  FRAKKLIN.         97 


money,  so  that  I  was  obliged  to  pay 
all  his  expenses  at  the  inn,  and  to 
maintain  him  during  the  rest  of  the 
journey ;  a  burden  that  was  very 
inconvenient  to  me. 

The  Governor  of  New  York, 
whose  name  was  Burnet,  hearing 
the  captain  say  that  a  young  man 
who  was  a  passenger  in  the  ship 
had  a  great  number  of  books,  beg 
ged  him  to  bring  me  to  his  house* 
I  accordingly  went,  and  should 
have  taken  Collins  with  me  had  he 
been  sober.  The  governor  treated 
me  with  great  civility,  showed  me 
his  library,  which  was  a  very  con 
siderable  one,  and  we  talked  for 
some  time  upon  books  and  authors. 
This  was  the  second  governor  who 
had  honoured  me  with  his  attention  ; 
and  to  a  poor  boy,  as  I  then  was, 


98  LIFE   OF 


these  little  adventures  did  not  fail 
to  be  pleasing. 

We  arrived  at  Philadelphia.     On 
the  way  I   received  Vernon's  mo 
ney,  without  which  we  should  have 
i  been  unable  to  have  finished  our 
journey. 

Collins  wished  to  get  employment 
as  a  merchant's  clerk,  but  either 
his  breath  or  his  countenance  be 
trayed  his    bad  habit ;  for  though 
I  he  had   recommendations,  he    met 
i  with  no  success,  and  continued  to 
I  eat    and    lodge  with  me  at  my  ex- 
|  pense.     Knowing  that  I  had  Ver- 
|  non's    money,  he  was    continually 
asking  me  to  lend  him  some  of  it, 
promising  to  repay  me  as  soon  as 
he   should    get  employment.      At 
last.,  he  had  drawn  so  much  of  this 
money,  that  I  was  extremely  alarm- 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  99 

ed  at  what  might  become  of  me, 
should  he  fail  to  make  good  the  de 
ficiency.  His  habit  of  drinking 
did  not  at  all  diminish,  and  was  a 
frequent  source  of  discord  between 
us ;  for  when  he  had  drank  a  little 
too  much,  he  was  very  headstrong. 
Being  one  day  in  a  boat  together, 
on  the  Delaware  with  some  other 
young  persons,  he  refused  to  take 
his  turn  in  rowing.  "  You  shall  row 
for  me,"  said  he, "  till  we  get  home." 
"  No,"  I  replied, "  we  will  not  row  for 
you."  "  You  shall,"  said  he, "  or  re 
main  upon  the  water  all  night — As 
you  please." — "  Let  us  row,"  said 
the  rest  of  the  company ;  "  what 
signifies  whether  he  assists  or  not?" 
But  already  angry  with  him  for  his 
conduct  in  other  respects,  I  persisted 
in  my  refusal.  He  then  swore  he 


100  LIFE    OF 


would  make  me  row,  or  would 
throw  me  out  of  the  boat ;  and  he 
made  up  to  me.  As  soon  as  he 
was  within  my  reach,  I  took  him 
by  the  collar,  gave  him  a  violent 
thrust,  and  threw  him  head-fore 
most  into  the  river.  I  knew  that 
he  was  a  good  swimmer,  and  was 
therefore  under  no  apprehensions 
for  his  life. 

Before  he  could  turn  himself,  we 
were  able,  by  a  few  strokes  of  our 
oars,  to  place  ourselves  out  of  his 
reach ;  and*  whenever  he  touched 
the  boat,  we  asked  him  if  he  would 
row,  striking  his  hands  with  the 
oars  to  make  him  let  go  his  hold. 
He  was  nearly  suffocated  with  rage, 
but  obstinately  refused  making  any 
promise  to  row.  Perceiving  at 
length  that  his  strength  began  to  be 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  lOl 

exhausted,  we  took  him  into  the 
boat,  and  conveyed  him  home  in 
the  evening,  completely  drenched. 
The  utmost  coldness  subsisted  be 
tween  us  after  this  adventure.  At 
last,  the  captain  of  a  West  India 
ship,  who  was  commissioned  to 
procure  a  tutor  for  the  children  of 
a  gentleman  at  Barbadoes,  meeting 
with  Collins,  offered  him  the  place. 
He  accepted  it,  and  took  his  leave 
of  me,  promising  to  discharge  the 
debt  he  owed  me  with  the  first  mo 
ney  he  should  receive ;  but  I  have 
heard  nothing  of  him  since. 
•  The  violation  of  the  trust  re 
posed  in  me  by  Vernon,  was  one 
of  the  first  great  errors  of  my  life ; 
and  it  proves  that  my  father  was 
not  mistaken  when  he  supposed  mo 
too  young  to  be  intrusted  with  the 


102  LIFE  OF 


management  of  important  affairs. 
But  Sir  William,  upon  reading  his 
letter,  thought  him  too  prudent. 
There  was  a  difference,  he  said, 
between  individuals  ;  years  of  ma 
turity  were  not  always  accompanied 
with  discretion,  neither  was  youth 
in  every  instance  devoid  of  it. 
Since  your  father,  added  he,  will 
not  set  you  up  in  business,  I  will 
do  it  myself.  Make  out  a  list  of 
what  will  be  wanted  from  England, 
and  I  will  send  for  the  articles. 
You  shall  repay  me  when  you  can. 
I  am  determined  to  have  a  good 
printer  here,  and  I  am  .sure  you 
will  succeed.  This  was  said  with 
so  much  seeming  cordiality,  that  I 
suspected  not  for  an  instant  the 
sincerity  of  the  offer.  I  had  hither 
to  kept  the  project  with  which  Sir 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.          103 

William  had  inspired  me,  of  set 
tling  in  business,  a  secret  at  Phila 
delphia,  and  I  still  continued  to  do 
so.  Had  my  reliance  on  the  go 
vernor  been  known,  some  friends, 
better  acquainted  with  his  character 
than  myself,  would  doubtless  have 
advised  me  not  to  trust  him  ;  for  I 
afterwards  learned  that  he  was 
universally  known  to  be  liberal  of 
promises,  which  he  had  no  intention 
to  perform.  But  having  never  so 
licited  him,  how  could  I  suppose 
his  offers  to  be  deceitful  ?  On  the 
contrary,  I  believed  him  to  be  the 
best  man  in  the  world. 

I  gave  him  an  inventory  of  a 
small  printing-office,  the  expense  of 
which  I  had  calculated  at  about 
one  hundred  pounds  sterling.  He 
expressed  his  approbation ;  but 


104  LIFE  OF 


asked  if  my  presence  in  England, 
that  I  might  choose  the  characters 
myself,  and  see  that  every  article 
was  good  in  its  kind,  would  not  be 
an  advantage?  You  will  also  be 
able,  said  he,  to  form  some  ac 
quaintance  there,  and  establish  a 
correspondence  with  stationers  and 
booksellers.  This  I  acknowledged 
was  desirable.  That  being  the  case, 
added  he,  hold  yourself  in  readiness 
to  go  with  the  Annis.  This  was 
the  annual  vessel,  and  the  only 
one,  at  that  time,  which  made  regu 
lar  voyages  between  the  ports  of 
London  and  Philadelphia.  But  the 
Annis  was  not  to  sail  for  some 
months.  I  therefore  continued  to 
work  with  Keimcr,  unhappy  re 
specting  the  sum  which  Collins  had 
drawn  from  me,  and  almost  in 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  105 

continual  agony  at  the  thoughts  of 
Vcrnon,  who  fortunately  made  no 
demand  of  his  money  till  several 
years  after. 

In  the  account  of  my  first  voy 
age  from  Boston  to  Philadelphia,  I 
omitted,  I  believe,  a  trifling  circum 
stance,  which  will  not  perhaps  be 
out  of  place  here.  During  a  calm 
which  stopped  us  above  Block- 
Island,  the  crew  employed  them 
selves  in  fishing  for  cod,  of  which 
they  caught'a  great  number.  I  had 
hitherto  adhered  to  my  resolution 
of  not  eating  any  thing  that  had 
possessed  life  ;  and  I  considered  on 
this  occasion,  agreeably  to  the 
maxims  of  my  master  Tryon,  the 
capture  of  every  fish  as  a  sort  of 
murder,  committed  without  provo 
cation,  since  these  animals  had 


106  LIFE  OF 

neither  done,  nor  were  capable  of 
doing,  the  smallest  injury  to  any 
one  that  should  justify  the  measure. 
This  mode  of  reasoning  I  conceived 
to  be  unanswerable.  Meanwhile  I 
had  formerly  been  extremely  fond 
of  fish,  and  when  one  of  these  cod 
was  taken  out  of  the  frying-pan,  I 
thought  its  flavour  delicious.  I 
hesitated  some  time  between  prin 
ciple  and  inclination,  till  at  last 
recollecting,  that  when  the  cod  had 
been  opened,  some  small  fish  had 
been  found  in  his  belly,  I  said  to 
myself,  if  you  eat  one  another,  I 
see  no  reason  why  we  may  not  eat 
you.  I  accordingly  dined  on  the  cod, 
with  no  small  degree  of  pleasure, 
and  have  since  continued  to  cat  like 
the  rest  of  mankind,  returning  only 
occasionally  to  my  vegetable  plan. 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  107 

I  continued  to  live  upon  good 
terms  with  Keimer,  who  had  not 
the  smallest  suspicion  of  my  in 
tended  establishment.  He  still  re 
tained  a  portion  of  his  former 
enthusiasm,  and  being  fond  of 
argument,  we  frequently  disputed 
together.  I  was  so  much  in  the 
habit  of  using  my  Socratic  method, 
and  had  so  frequently  puzzled  him 
by  my  questions,  which  appeared 
at  first  very  distant  from  the  point 
in  debate,  yet,  nevertheless,  led  to 
it  by  degrees,  involving  him  in 
difficulties  and  contradictions  from 
which  he  was  unable  to  extricate 
himself,  that  he  became  at  last 
ridiculously  cautious,  and  would 
scarcely  answer  the  most  plain 
and  familiar  question  without  pre- 
j  viously  asking  me,  What  would 


108  LIFE  OF 


you  infer  from  that?  Hence  he 
formed  so  high  an  opinion  of  my 
talents  for  refutation,  that  he 
seriously  proposed  to  me  to  become 
his  colleague  in  the  establishment 
of  a  new  religious  sect.  He  was 
to  propagate  the  doctrine  by  preach 
ing,  and  I  to  refute  every  opponent. 
When  he  explained  to  me  his 
tenets,  I  found  many  absurdities 
which  I  refused  to  admit,  unless  he 
would  agree  in  turn  to  adopt  some 
of  my  opinions.  Keimer  wore  his 
beard  long,  because  Moses  had 
somewhere  said,  "  Thou  shalt  not 
mar  the  corners  of  thy  beard."  He 
likewise  observed  the  Sabbath,  and 
these  were  with  him  two  very 
essential  points.  I  consented  to 
adopt  them,  provided  he  would  ab 
stain  from  animal  food.  "  I  doubt," 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  109 

said  he,  "  whether  my  constitution 
will  be  able  to  support  it."  I  as 
sured  him,  on  the  contrary,  that  he 
would  find  himself  the  better  for  it. 
He  was  naturally  a  glutton,  and  I 
wished  to  amuse  myself  by  starving 
him.  He  consented  to  make  trial 
of  this  regimen,  if  I  would  bear 
him  company,  and  in  reality  we 
continued  it  for  three  months.  A 
woman  in  the  neighbourhood  pre 
pared  and  brought  us  our  victuals, 
to  whom  I  gave  a  list  of  forty 
dishes,  in  the  composition  of  which 
there  entered  neither  flesh  nor  fish. 
This  fancy  was  the  more  agreeable 
to  me,  as  it  turned  to  good  account, 
for  the  whole  expense  of  our  living 
did  not  exceed  for  each  eighteen 
pence  a  week. 

I   continued   it  .cheerfully,   but 


110  LIFE  OF 


poor  Keimer  suffered  terribly. 
Tired  of  the  project,  he  sighed  for 
"  the  flesh-pots  of  Egypt."  At 
length  he  ordered  a  roast  pig,  and 
invited  me  and  two  of  our  female 
acquaintance  to  dine  with  him  ;  but 
the  pig  being  ready  a  little  too 
soon,  he  could  not  resist  the  temp 
tation,  and  eat  it  all  up  before  we 
arrived. 

During  the  circumstances  I  have 
related,  I  had  paid  some  attentions 
to  Miss  Read.  I  entertained  for 
her  the  utmost  esteem  and  affec 
tion  ;  and  I  had  reason  to  believe 
that  these  sentiments  were  mutual. 
But  we  were  both  young,  scarcely 
more  than  eighteen  years  of  age  ; 
and  as  I  was  on  the  point  of  under 
taking  a  lo.ng  voyage,  her  mother 
thought  it  prudent  to  prevent  mat- 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  Ill 

ters  being  carried  too  fur  for  the 
present,  judging  that  if  marriage 
was  our  object,  there  would  be 
more  propriety  in  it.  after  my 
return,  when,  as  at  least  I  expected, 
I  should  be  established  in  my  busi 
ness.  Perhaps,  also,  she  thought 
that  my  expectations  were  not  so 
well  founded  as  I  imagined. 

My  most  intimate  acquaintance 
at  this  time  were  Charles  Osborne, 
Joseph  Watson,  and  James  Ralph. 
It  was  a  custom  with  us  to  take  a 
walk  on  Sundays  in  the  woods  that 
bordered  on  the  SchuylkilK  Here 
we  read  together,  and  afterwards 
conversed  on  what  we  read.  Ralph 
was  disposed  to  give  himself  up 
entirely  to  poetry.  He  flattered 
himself  that  he  should  arrive  at 
great  eminence  in  the  art,  and  even 


112  LIFE  OF 


acquire  a  fortune.  The  sublimest 
poets,  he  pretended,  when  they 
first  began  to  write,  committed  as 
many  faults  as  himself.  Osborne 
endeavoured  to  dissuade  him  from 
it  by  assuring  him  that  he  had  no 
genius  for  poetry,  and  advised  him 
to  stick  to  the  trade  in  which  he 
had  been  brought  up.  "  In  the  road 
of  commerce,"  said  he, "  you  will  be 
sure,  by  diligence  and  assiduity, 
though  you  have  no  capital,  of  so 
far  succeeding  as  to  be  employed 
as  a  factor,  and  may  thus,  in  time, 
acquire  the  means  of  setting  up 
for  yourself."  I  concurred  in  these 
sentiments,  but  at  the  same  time 
expressed  my  approbation  of  amu 
sing  ourselves  sometimes  with 
poetry,  with  a  view  to  improve  our 
style.  In  consequence  of  this  it 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  113 

was  proposed,  that,  at  our  next 
meeting,  each  of  us  should  bring  a 
copy  of  verses  of  his  own  compo 
sition.  Our  object  in  this  compe 
tition  was,  to  benefit  each  other  by 
our  mutual  remarks,  criticisms,  and 
corrections ;  and,  as  style  and  ex 
pression  were  all  we  had  in  view, 
we  excluded  every  idea  of  inven 
tion,  by  agreeing  that  our  task 
should  be  a  version  of  the  eigh 
teenth  psalm,  in  which  is  described 
the  descent  of  the  Deity. 

The  time  of  our  meeting  drew 
near,  when  Ralph  called  upon  me, 
and  told  me  his  piece  was  ready. 
I  informed  him  that  I  had  been  idle, 
and,  not  much  liking  the  task,  had 
done  nothing.  He  showed  me  his 
piece,  and  asked  what  I  thought  of 
it.  I  expressed  myself  in  terms  of 


114  LIFE  OF 


warm  approbation,  because  it  really 
appeared  to  have  considerable  merit. 
He  then  said,  "  Osborne  will  never 
acknowledge  the  smallest  degree  of 
excellence  in  any  production  of 
mine.  Envy  alone  dictates  to  him 
a  thousand  animadversions.  Of 
you  he  is  not  so  jealous ;  I  wish, 
therefore,  you  would  take  the  verses 
and  produce  them  as  your  own.  I 
will  pretend  not  to  have  had  leisure 
to  write  any  thing.  We  shall  then 
see  in  what  manner  he  will  speak 
of  them."  I  agreed  to  this  little 
artifice,  and  immediately  transcribed 
the  verses,  to  prevent  all  suspicion. 
We  met.  Watson's  performance 
was  the  first  that  was  read.  It  had 
some  beauties,  but  many  faults. 
We  next  read  Osborne's,  which 
was  much  better.  Ralph  did  it 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  115 


justice,  remarking  a  few  imperfec 
tions,  and  applauding  such  parts  as 
were  excellent.  He  had  himself 
nothing  to  show.  It  was  now  my 
turn.  I  made  some  difficulty,  seem 
ed  as  if  I  wished  to  be  excused, 
pretended  that  I  had  no  time  to 
make  corrections,  &c.  No  excuse, 
however,  was  admissible,  and  the 
piece  must  be  produced.  It  was 
read  and  re-read.  Watson  and 
Osborne  immediately  resigned  the 
palm,  and  united  in  applauding  it. 
Ralph  alone  made  a  few  remarks, 
and  proposed  some  alterations  ;  but 
I  defended  my  text.  Osborne 
agreed  with  me,  and  told  Ralph  he 
was  no  more  able  to  criticise  than 
he  was  able  to  write. 

When  Osborne  was  alone  with 
me,  he  expressed  himself  still  more 


116  LIFE  OF 


strongly  in  favour  of  what  he  con 
sidered  as  my  performance.  He 
pretended  that  he  had  put  some 
constraint  on  himself  before,  ap 
prehensive  of  my  construing  his 
commendation  into  flattery.  But 
who  would  have  supposed,  said  he, 
Franklin  to  be  capable  of  such  a 
composition  ?  What  painting,  what 
energy,  what  fire !  He  has  sur 
passed  the  original !  In  his  com 
mon  conversation  he  appears  not 
to  have  choice  of  words;  he  hesi 
tates,  and  is  at  a  loss ;  and  yet, 
good  God,  how  he  writes ! 

At  our  next  meeting,  Ralph  dis 
covered  the  trick  we  had  played 
Osborne,  who  was  rallied  without 
mercy. 

The  governor  appeared  to  be 
fond  of  my  company,  and  frequently 


BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  117 

invited  me  to  his  house.  He 
always  spoke  of  his  intention  of 
{settling  me  in  business,  as  a  point 
that  was  decided.  I  was  to  take 
with  me  letters  of  recommendation 
to  a  number  of  friends,  and  particu 
larly  a  letter  of  credit,  in  order 
to  obtain  the  necessary  sum  for  the 
purchase  of  my  press,  types,  and 
paper.  He  appointed  various  times 
for  me  to  come  for  these  letters, 
which  would  certainly  be  ready,* 
and  when  I  came,  always  put  me 
off  to  another  day. 

These  successive  delays  con 
tinued  till  the  vessel,  whose  de 
parture  had  been  several  times  de 
ferred,  was  on  the  point  of  setting 
sail,  when  I  again  went  to  Sir  Wil 
liam's  house,  to  receive  my  letters 
and  take  leave  of  him.  I  saw  his 


118  LIFE    OF 


secretary,  Dr.  Bard,  who  told  me 
that  the  governor  was  extremely 
busy  writing,  but  that  he  would  be 
down  at  Newcastle  before  the 
vessel,  and  that  the  letters  would 
be  delivered  to  me  there. 

Ralph,  though  he  was  married, 
and  had  a  child,  determined  to 
accompany  me  in  this  voyage. 
His  object  was  supposed  to  be  the 
establishing  a  correspondence  with 
some  mercantile  houses,  in  order 
to  sell  goods  by  commission ;  but 
I  afterwards  learned,  that  having 
reason  to  be  dissatisfied  with  the 
parents  of  his  wife,  he  proposed  to 
himself  to  leave  her  on  their  hands, 
and  never  to  return  to  America 
again. 

Having  taken  leave  of  my 
friends,  and  interchanged  promises 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  119 

of  fidelity  with  Miss  Read,  I  quit 
ted  Philadelphia.  At  Newcastle 
the  vessel  came  to  anchor.  The 
governor  was  arrived,  and  I  went 
to  his  lodgings.  His  secretary  re 
ceived  me  with  great  civility,  told 
me,  on  the  part  of  the  governor, 
that  he  could  not  see  me  then,  as 
he  was  engaged  in  affairs  of  the 
utmost  importance ;  but  that  he 
would  send  the  letters  on  board, 
and  that  he  wished  me,  with  all 
his  heart,  a  good  voyage  and 
speedy  return.  I  returned  some 
what  astonished,  but  still  without 
entertaining  the  slightest  suspicion. 
Mr.  Hamilton,  a  celebrated  bar 
rister  of  Philadelphia,  had  taken  a 
passage  to  England  for  himself  and 
his  son ;  and,  in  conjunction  with 
Mr.  Denham,  a  Quaker,  and 


120  LIFE  OF 


Messrs.  Oijiam  and  Russel,  pro 
prietors  of  a  forge  in  Maryland, 
had  agreed  for  the  whole  cabin,  so 
that  Ralph  and  I  were  obliged  to 
take  up  our  lodging  with  the  crew. 
Being  unknown  to  everybody  in 
the  ship,  we  were  looked  upon  as 
the  common  order  of  people ;  but 
Mr.  Hamilton  and  his  son  (it  was 
James,  who  was  afterwards  go 
vernor,)  left  us  at  Newcastle,  and 
returned  to  Philadelphia,  whither 
he  was  recalled,  at  a  very  greaf 
expense,  to  plead  the  cause  of  a 
vessel  that  had  been  seized ;  and 
just  as  we  were  about  to  sail, 
Colonel  Finch  came  on  board,  and 
showed  me  many  civilities.  The 
passengers,  upon  this,  paid  me 
more  attention,  and  I  was  invited, 
together  with  my  friend  Ralph,  to 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.          121 


occupy  the  place  in  the  cabin  which 
the  return  of  the  Mr.  Hamiltons 
had  made  vacant,  an  offer  which 
we  vejjy  readily  accepted. 

Having  learned  that  the  des 
patches  of  the  governor  had  been 
brought  on  board  by  Colonel  Finch, 
J  asked  the  captain  for  the  letters 
that  were  to* be  intrusted  to  my 
care.  He  told  me  that  they  were 
all  put  together  i*i  the  bag,  which 
he  could  not  open  at  present :  but 
before  we  reached  England,  he 
would  give  me  an  opportunity  of 
taking  them  out.  I  was  satisfied 
with  this  answer,  and  we  pursued 
our  voyage. 

The  company  in  the  cabin  were 
all  very  sociable,  and  we  were  all 
perfectly  well  off  as  to  provisions,  as 
we  took  the  advantage  of  the  whole 


122  LIFE  OF 


of  Mr.  Hamilton's,  who  had  laid 
in  a  very  plentiful  stock.  During 
the  passage,  Mr.  Denham  con 
tracted  a  friendship  for  me,  which 
ended  only  with  his  life :  in  other 
respects,  the  voyage  was  by  no 
means  an  agreeable  one,  as  we  had 
much  bad  weather. 

When  we  arrived  in  the  river 
Thames,  the  captain  was  as  good 
as  his  word,  and  ^allowed  me  to 
search  the  bag  for  the  governor's 
letters.  I  could  not  find  a  single 
one  with  my  name  written  on  it,  as 
committed  to  my  care ;  but  I  se 
lected  six  or  seven,  which  I  judged, 
from  the  direction,  to  be  those  that 
were  intended  for  me,  particularly 
one  to  Mr.  Basket,  the  king's  prin 
ter,  and  another  to  a  stationer,  who 
was  the  first  person  I  called  upon. 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  123 

I  delivered  him  the  letter  as  coming 
from  Governor  Keith.  "  I  have 
no  acquaintance  (said  he)  with  any 
such  person ;"  and  opening  the  let 
ter,  "Oh,  it  is  from  Riddlesden, 
(he  exclaimed)  I  have  lately  dis 
covered  him  to  be  a  very  arrant 
knave,  and  I  wish  to  have  nothing 
to  do  either  with  him  or  his  letters." 
He  instantly  put  the  letter  in  my 
hand,  turned  upon  his  heel,  and 
left  me  to  serve  some  customers. 

I  was  astonished  at  finding  these 
letters  were  not  from  the  governor. 
Reflecting,  and  putting  circum 
stances  together,  I  then  began  to 
doubt  his  sincerity.  I  rejoined  my 
friend  Denham,  and  related  the 
whole  affair  to  him.  He  let  me 
at  once  into  Keith's  character,  told 
me  there  was  not  the  least  proba- 


124  LIFE  OF 


bility  of  his  having  written  a  single 
letter  ;  that  no  one  who  knew  him 
ever  placed  any  reliance  on  him, 
and  laughed  at  my  credulity  in 
supposing  that  the  governor  would 
give  me  a  letter  of  credit,  when  he 
had  no  credit  for  himself.  As  J 
showed  some  uneasiness  respecting 
what  step  I  should  take,  he  advised 
me  to  try  to  get  employment  in  the 
house  of  some  printer.  You  may 
there,  said  he,  improve  yourself  in 
business,  and  you  will  be  able  to 
settle  yourself  the  more  advantage 
ously  when  you  return  to  America. 
But  what  are  we  to  think  of  a 
governor  who  could  play  so  scurvy 
a  trick,  and  thus  grossly  deceive  a 
poor  young  lad,  wholly  destitute  of 
experience  ?  It  was  a  practice  with 
him.  Wishing  to  please  every 


BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN.  125 


body,  and  having  little  to  bestow, 
he  was  lavish  of  promises.  He 
was,  in  other  respects,  sensible  and 
judicious,  a  very  tolerable  writer, 
and  a  good  governor  for  the  people, 
though  not  so  for  the  proprietaries, 
whose  instructions  he  frequently 
disregarded.  Many  of  our  best 
laws  were  his  work,  and  established 
during  his  administration. 

Ralph  and  I  were  inseparable 
companions.  We  took  a  lodging 
together  at  three  shillings  and  six 
pence  a  week,  which  wras  as  much 
as  we  could  afford.  He  met  with 
some  relations  in  London,  but  they 
were  poor,  and  not  able  to  assist 
him.  He  now,  for  the  first  time, 
informed  me  of  his  intention  to  re 
main  in  England,  and  that  he  had 
no  thoughts  of  ever  returning  to 


126  LIFE  OF 


Philadelphia.  He  was  totally  with 
out  money,  the  little  he  had  been 
able  to  raise  having  barely  sufficed 
for  his  passage.  I  had  still  fifteen 
pistoles  remaining,  and  to  me  he 
had  from  time  to  time  recourse, 
.while  he  tried  to  get  employment. 

At  first,  believing  himself  pos 
sessed  of  talents  for  the  stage,  he 
thought  of  turning  actor;  but  Wllkcs, 
to  whom  he  applied,  frankly  ad 
vised  him  to  renounce  the  idea,  as 
it  was  impossible  to  succeed.  He 
next  proposed  to  Roberts,  a  book 
seller  in  Pater-nostcr-Row,  to  write 
a  weekly  paper  in  the  manner  of 
the  Spectator,  upon  terms  to  which 
Roberts  would  not  listen.  Lastly, 
he  endeavoured  to  procure  employ 
ment  a-s  a  copyist,  and  applied  to 
the  lawyers  and  stationers  about 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  127 


the  Temple,  but  he  could  find  no 
vacancy. 

As  to  myself,  I  immediately  got 
engaged  at  Palmer's,  at  that  time  a 
noted  printer  in  Bartholomew-Close, 
with  whom  I  continued  nearly  a 
year.  1  applied  very  assiduously 
to  my  work,  but  I  expended  with 
Ralph  almost  all  that  I  earned. 
Plays,  and  other  places  of  amuse 
ment,  which  we  frequented  together, 
having  exhausted  my  pistoles,  we 
lived  after  this  from  hand  to  mouth. 
He  appeared  to  have  entirely  for 
gotten  his  wife  and  child,  as  1  also, 
by  degrees,  forgot  my  engagements 
with  Miss  Read,  to  whom  I  never 
wrote  more  than  one  letter,  and 
that  merely  to  inform  her  that  I 
was  not  likely  to  return  soon.  This 
was  another  grand  error  of  my 


128  LIFE  OF 


life,  which  I  should  be  desirous  of 
correcting,  were  I  to  begin  my 
career  again. 

I  was  employed  at  Palmer's  on 
the  second  edition  of  Woolaston's 
Religion  of  Nature.  Some  of  his 
arguments  appearing  to  me  not  to 
be  well  founded,  I  wrote  a  small 
metaphysical  treatise,  in  which  I 
animadverted  on  those  passages. 
It  was  entitled,  A  Dissertation  on 
Liberty  and  Necessity,  Pleasure 
and  Pain.  I  dedicated  it  to  my 
friend  Ralph,  and  printed  a  small 
number  of  copies.  Palmer  upon 
this  treated  me  with  more  considera 
tion,  and  regarded  me  as  a  young 
man  of  talents,  though  he  seriously 
took  me  to  task  for  the  principles 
of  my  pamphlet,  which  he  looked 
upon  as  abominable.  The  printing 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  129 

of  this  work  was  another  error  of 
my  life. 

While  I  lodged  in  Little  Britain, 
I  formed  an  acquaintance  with  a 
bookseller  of  the  name  of  Wilcox, 
whose  shop  was  next  door  to  me. 
Circulating  libraries  were  not  then 
in  use.  He  had  an  immense  col 
lection  of  books  of  all  sorts.  We 
agreed  that,  for  a  reasonable  retri 
bution,  of  which  I  have  now  for 
gotten  the  price,  I  should  have  free 
access  to  his  library,  and  take 
what  books  I  pleased,  which  I  was 
to  return  when  I  had  read  them. 
I  considered  this  agreement  as  a 
very  great  advantage,  and  I  de 
rived  from  it  as  much  benefit  as 
was  in  my  power. 

My  pamphlet  falling  into  the 
hands  of  a  surgeon  of  the  name 


130  LIFE  or 


of  Lyons,  author  of  a  book  entitled 
Infallibility  of  Human  Judgment, 
was  the  occasion  of  a  considerable 
intimacy  between  us.  He  ex 
pressed  great  esteem  for  me,  came 
frequently  to  see  me,  in  order  to 
converse  upon  metaphysical  sub 
jects,  and  introduced  me  to  Dr. 
Mandeville,  author  of  the  Fables 
of  the  Bees,  who  had  instituted  a 
club  at  a  tavern  in  Cheapside,  of 
which  he  was  the  soul ;  he  was  a 
facetious  and  very  amusing  char 
acter.  He  also  introduced  me,  at 
Batson's  Coffee-house,  to  Dr.  Pem- 
'berton,  who  promised  to  give  me 
an  opportunity  of  seeing  Sir  Isaac 
Newton,  which  I  very  ardently  de 
sired  ;  but  he  never  kept  his  word. 
I  had  brought  some  curiosities 
from  America,  the  principal  of 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  131 

which  was  a  purse  made  of  the 
asbestos,  which  fire  only  purifies. 
Sir  Hans  Sloane  hearing  of  it, 
called  upon  me,  and  invited  me  to 
his  house  in  Bloomsbury-square, 
where,  after  showing  me  every 
thing  that  was  curious,  he  pre 
vailed  on  me  to  add  this  piece  to 
his  collection,  for  which  he  paid  me 
very  handsomely. 

I  now  began  to  think  of  laying 
by  some  money.  The  printing- 
house  of  Watts,  near  Lincoln's 
Inn-Fields,  being  a  still  more  con* 
siderable  one  than  that  in  which  I 
worked,  it  was  ^probable  I  might 
find  it  more  advantageous  to  be 
employed  there.  I  offered  myself 
and  was  accepted,  and  in  this  house 
I  continued  during  the  remainder 
of  my  stay  in  London. 


132  LIFE  OF 


On  my  entrance,  I  worked  at 
first  as  a  pressman  j  conceiving 
that  I  had  need  of  bodily  exercise, 
to  which  I  had  been  accustomed  in 
America,  where  the  printers  work 
alternately  as  compositors  and  at 
the  press.  I  drank  nothing  but 
water.  The  other  workmen,  to 
the  amount  of  about  fifty,  were 
great  drinkers  of  beer;  I  carried, 
occasionally,  a  large  form  of  letters 
in  each  hand  up  and  down  stairs, 
while  the  rest  employed  both  hands 
to  carry  one.  They  were  sur 
prised  to  sec)  by  this  and  many 
other  examples,  that  the  American 
Aquatic,  as  they  used  to  call  me, 
was  stronger  than  those  who  drank 
porter.  The  beer-boy  had  suffi 
cient  employment  during  the  whole 
day  in  serving  that  house  alone. 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  133 

My  fellow  pressman  drank  every 
day  a  pint  of  beer  before  break- 
fast,  a  pint  with  bread  and  cheese 
for  breakfast,  one  between  break 
fast  and  dinner,  one  at  dinner,  one 
again  about  six  o'clock  in  the  af 
ternoon,  and  another  after  he  had 
finished  his  day's  work.  This 
custom  appeared  to  me  abominable; 
but  he  had  need,  he  said,  of  all 
his  beer,  in  order  to  acquire 
strength  to  work. 

I  endeavoured  to  convince  him 
that  bodily  strength  furnished  by 
beer,  could  only  be  in  proportion 
to  the  solid  part  of  the  barley  dis 
solved  in  the  water  of  which  the 
beer  was  composed ;  that  there 
was  a  larger  portion  of  flour  in  a 
penny  loaf,  and  that  consequently 
if  he  eat  this  loaf,  and  drank  a  pint 


134  LIFE  OF 


of  water  with  it,  he  would  derive 
more  strength  from  it  than  from  a 
pint  of  beer.  This  reasoning, 
however,  did  not  prevent  him  from 
drinking  his  accustomed  quantity 
of  beer,  and  paying  every  Saturday 
night  a  score  of  four  or  five  shil 
lings  a  week  for  this  beverage ;  an 
expense  from  which  I  was  totally 
exempt.  Thus  do  these  poor  devils 
continue  all  their  lives  in  a  state 
of  voluntary  wretchedness  and 
poverty. 

At  the  end  of  a  few  weeks, 
Watts  having  occasion  for  me 
above  stairs  as  a  compositor,  I 
quitted  the  press.  The  compositors 
demanded  of,  me  garnish-money 
afresh.  This  I  considered  as  an 
imposition,  already  paid  below. 
The  master  was  of  the  same 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  135 

opinion,  and  desired  me  not  to 
comply.  I  thus  remained  two  or 
three  weeks  out  of  the  fraternity. 
I  was  consequently  looked  upon 
as  excommunicated,  and  whenever 
I  was  absent,  no  little  trick  that 
malice  could  suggest  was  left  un 
practised  upon  me.  I  found  my 
letters  mixed,  my  pages  transposed, 
my  matter  broken,  &c.,  &c.,  all 
which  was  attributed  to  the  spirit 
that  haunted  the  Chapel,*  and  tor 
mented  those  who  were  not  regularly 
admitted.  I  was  at  last  obliged  to 
submit  to  pay,  notwithstanding  the 
protection  of  the  master;  con- 


*  Printing-houses  in  general,  are  thus 
denominated  by  the  workmen,  as  the  first 
office  set  up  in  England,  by  Caxton,  was 
in  a  Chapel  in  Westminster.— The  spirit 
they  call  Ralph. 


136  LIFE    OF 


vinced  of  the  folly  of  not  keeping 
up  a  good  understanding  with  those 
among  whom  we  were  destined  to 
live. 

After  this,  I  lived  in  the  utmost 
harmony  with  my  fellow-labourers, 
and  soon  acquired  considerable  in 
fluence  among  them.  I  proposed 
some  alterations  in  the  laws  of  the 
Chapel,  which  I  carried  without 
opposition.  My  example  prevailed 
with  several  of  them  to  renounce 
their  abominable  practice  of  bread 
and  cheese  with  beer;  and  they 
procured,  like  me,  from  a  neigh 
bouring  house,  a  good  bason  of 
warm  gruel,  in  which  was  a  small 
slice  of  butter,  with  toasted  bread 
and  nutmeg.  This  was  a  much 
better  breakfast,  which  did  not  cost 
more  than  a  pint  of  beer,  namely, 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  137 

three  half- pence,  and  at  the  same 
time  preserved  the  head  clearer. 
Those  Who  continued  to  gorge 
themselves  with  beer,  often  lost 
their  credit  with  the  publican,  from 
neglecting  to  pay  their  score.  They 
had  then  recourse  to  me,  to  become 
security  for  them,  their  light,  as 
they  used  to  call  it,  being  out.  I 
attended  at  the  pay-table  every 
Saturday  evening,  to  take  up  the 
little  sums  which  I  had  made  my 
self  answerable  for,  and  which 
sometimes  amounted  to  near  thirty 
shillings  a  week. 

This  circumstance,  added  to  my 
reputation  of  being  a  good  gabber, 
or  in  other  words,  skilful  in  the  art 
of  burlesque,  kept  up  my  impor 
tance  in  the  Chapel.  I  had,  besides, 
recommended  myself  to  the  esteem 


138  LIFE  OF 


of  my  master,  by  my  assiduous 
application  to  business,  never  ob 
serving  Saint  Monday.  My  ex 
traordinary  quickness  in  composing 
always  procured  me  such  work  as 
was  most  urgent,  and  which  is 
commonly  best  paid  ;  and  thus  my 
time  passed  away  in  a  very  pleas 
ant  manner. 

My  lodging  in  Little  Britain  be 
ing  too  far  from  the  printing-house, 
I  took  another  in  Duke-street,  op 
posite  the  Roman  Chapel.  It  was 
the  back  of  an  Italian  warehouse. 
The  house  was  kept  by  a  widow, 
who  had  a  daughter,  a  servant,  and 
a  shop-boy,  but  the  latter  slept  out 
of  the  house.  After  sending  to  the 
people  with  whom  I  lodged  in  Lit 
tle  Britain,  to  inquire  into  my 
character,  she  agreed  to  take  me  at 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  139 

the  same  price,  three-and-sixpence 
a  week,  contenting  herself,  she 
said,  with  so  little,  because  of  the 
security  she  would  derive,  as  they 
were  all  women,  from  having  a 
man  to  lodge  in  the  same  house. 

At  the  printing-house  I  contracted 
an  intimacy  with  a  sensible  young 
man,  of  the  name  of  Wygate,  who, 
as  his  parents  were  in  good  circum 
stances,  had  received  a  better  edu 
cation  than  is  common  with  printers. 
He  was  a  tolerable  Latin  scholar, 
spoke  French  fluently,  and  was 
fond  of  reading.  I  taught  him,  as 
well  as  a  friend  of  his,  to  swim,  by 
taking  them  twice  only  in  the  river, 
after  which  they  stood  in  need  of 
no  farther  assistance.  We  one  day 
made  a  party  to  go  by  water  to 
Chelsea,  in  order  to  see  the  College, 


140  LIFE  OF 


and  Don  Saltero's  curiosities.  On 
our  return,  at  the  request  of  the 
company,  whose  curiosity  Wygate 
had  excited,  I  undressed  myself,  and 
leaped  into  the  river.  I  swam  from 
near  Chelsea  the  whole  way  to 
Blackfriars-Bridge,  exhibiting,  du 
ring  my  course,  a  variety  of  feats 
of  activity  and  address,  both  upon 
the  surface  of  the  water,  as  well  as 
under  it.  This  sight  occasioned 
much  astonishment  and  pleasure  to 
those  to  whom  it  was  new.  In  my 
youth  I  took  great  delight  in  this  ex 
ercise.  I  knew,  and  could  execute, 
all  the  evolutions  and  positions  of 
Thevenot,  and  I  added  to  them 
some  of  my  own  mvention,  in 
which  I  endeavoured  to  unite  grace 
fulness  and  utility.  I  took  a  plea 
sure  in  displaying  them  all  upon  this 


BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN.  141 

occasion,  and  was  highly  flattered 
with  the  admiration  they  excited. 

Wygate,  besides  being  desirous 
of  perfecting  himself  in  this  art, 
was  the  more  attached  to  me  from 
there  being,  in  other  respects,  a  con 
formity  in  our  tastes  and  studies. 
He  at  length  proposed  to  me  to  make 
the  tour  of  Europe  with  him,  main 
taining  ourselves  at  the  same  time 
by  working  at  our  profession.  I 
was  on  the  point  of  consenting, 
when  I  mentioned  it  to  my  friend 
Denham,  with  whom  I  was  glad  to 
pass  an  hour  whenever  I  had  leisure. 
He  dissuaded  me  from  the  project* 
and  advised  me  to  return  to  Phila 
delphia,  which  he  was  about  to  do 
himself.  I  must  relate  in  this  place 
a  trait  of  this  worthy  man's  char 
acter.- — 


142  LIFfi  OF 


He  had  formerly  been  in  business 
at  Bristol,  but  failing,  he  compound 
ed  with  his  creditors,  and  departed 
for  America,  where,  by  assiduous 
application  as  a  merchant,  ho  ac 
quired  in  a  few  years  a  very  con 
siderable  fortune.  Returning  to 
England  in  the  same  vessel  with 
myself,  as  I  have  related  above,  he 
invited  all  his  old  creditors  to  a 
feast.  When  assembled,  he  thanked 
them  for  the  readiness  with  which 
they  had  received  his  small  compo 
sition  ;  and  while  they  expected 
nothing  more  than  a  simple  enter 
tainment,  each  found  under  his 
plate,  when  it  came  to  be  removed, 
a  draft  upon  a  banker  for  the  resi 
due  of  his  debt,  with  interest. 

He  told  me  it  was  his  intention 
to  carry  back  with  him  to  Philadel- 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  143 


pbia  a  great  quantity  of  goods,  in 
order  to  open  a  store  ;  and  he  offer 
ed  to  take  me  with  him  in  the 
capacity  of  a  clerk,  to  keep  his 
books,  in  which  he  would  instruct 
me,  copy  letters,  and  superintend 
the  store.  He  added,  that,  as  soon 
as  I  had  acquired  a  knowledge  of 
mercantile  transactions,  he  would 
improve  my  situation,  by  sending 
me  with  a  cargo  of  corn  and  flour 
to  the  American  islands,  and  other 
lucurative  commissions ;  so  that, 
with  good  management  and  econ 
omy  might,  in  time,  begin  business 
with  advantage  for  myself.  * 

I  relished  these  proposals — Lon 
don  began  to  tire  me  ;  the  agreeable 
hours  I  had  passed  at  Philadelphia 
presented  themselves  to  my  mind, 
and  I  wished  to  see  them  revive. 


144  LIFE  OF 


I  consequently  engaged  myself  to 
Mr.  Denham,  at  a  salary  of  fifty 
pounds  a  year.  This  was  indeed 
less  than  I  earned  as  a  compositor  ; 
but  then  I  had  a  fairer  prospect.  I 
took  leave,  therefore,  as  I  believed, 
for  ever,  of  printing,  and  gave  my* 
self  up  entirely  to  my  new  occupa 
tion,  spending  all  my  time  either  in 
going  from  house  to  house  with 
Mr.  Denham,  to  purchase  goods,  or 
in  packing  them  up,  or  in  expedi 
ting  the  workmen,  ozc.  &c.  When 
every  thing,  however,  was  on 
board,  I  had  at  last  a  few  days  lei 
sure.* 

I  thus  passed  about  eighteen 
months  in  London,  working  almost 
without  intermission  at  my  trade, 
avoiding  all  expense  on  my  own 
account,  except  going  now  and  then 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  145 

to  the  play,  and  purchasing  a  few 
books.  But  my  friend  Ralph  kept 
me  poor.  He  owed  me  about 
twenty-seven  pounds,  which  was  so 
much  money  lost,  and  when  con 
sidered  as  taken  from  my  little 
savings,  was  a  very  great  sum.  I 
had,  notwithstanding  this,  a  regard 
for  him,  as  he  possessed  many 
amiable  qualities.  But  though  I 
had  done  nothing  for  myself  in 
point  of  fortune,  I  had  increased 
my  stock  of  knowledge,  either  by 
the  many  excellent  books  I  had 
read,  or  the  conversation  of  learned 
and  literary  persons  with  whom  I 
was  acquainted. 

We  sailed  from  Gravesend  the 
twenty-third  of  July,  1726,  and 
landed  at  Philadelphia  on  the 
eleventh  of  the  following  October. 


10 


146  LIFE  OF 


Keith  had  been  deprived  of  his 
office  of  governor,  and  was  suc 
ceeded  by  Major  Gordon.  I  met 
him  walking  in  the  streets  as  a 
private  individual.  He  appeared  a 
little  ashamed  at  seeing  me,  but 
passed  on  without  saying  anything. 
I  should  have  been  equally 
ashamed  myself  at  meeting  Miss 
Read,  had  not  her  family,  justly 
despairing  of  my  return  after  read 
ing  my  letter,  advised  her  to  give 
me  up,  and  marry  a  potter,  of  the 
name  of  Rogers,  to  which  she 
consented  ;  but  he  never  made  her 
happy,  and  she  soon  separated  from 
him,  refusing  to  cohabit  with  him, 
or  even  bear  his  name,  on  account 
of  a  report  which  prevailed  of  his 
having  another  wife.  His  skill  in 
his  profession  had  seduced  Miss 


BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  147 

Read's  parents  ;  but  he  was  as  bad 
a  subject  as  he  was  excellent  as  a 
workman.  He  involved  himself  in 
debt  and  fled,  in  the  year  1727  or 
1728,  to  the  West  Indies,  where  he 
died. 

Mr.  Denham  took  a  warehouse 
in  Water  street,  where  we  exhibit 
ed  our  commodities.  ^  I  applied 
myself  closely,  studied  accounts, 
and  became  in  a  short  time  very 
expert  in  trade.  We  lodged  and 
eat  together.  He  was  sincerely 
attached  to  me,  and  acted  towards 
me  as  if  he  had  been  my  father. 
On  my  side,  I  respected  and  loved 
him.  My  situation  was  happy,  but 
it  was  a  happiness  of  no  long  du 
ration. 

Early  in  February,  1727,  when 
I  entered  into  my  twenty-second 


148  LIFE  OF 


year,  we  were  both  taken  ill.  T 
was  attacked  with  a  pleurisy,  which 
had  nearly  carried  me  off;  I  suf 
fered  terribly,  and  considered  it  as 
all  over  with  me.  I  felt,  indeed,  a 
sort  of  disappointment  when  I  found 
myself  likely  to  recover,  and  re 
gretted  that  I  had  still  to  experience, 
soon  or  later,  the  same  disagreeable 
scene  again. 

I  have  forgotten  what  was  Mr. 
Den  ham's  disorder,  but  it  was  a 
tedious  one,  and  he  at  last  sunk 
under  it.  He  left  me  a  small 
legacy  in  his  will,  as  a  testimony 
of  his  friendship ;  and  I  was  once 
more  abandoned  to  myself  in  the 
wide  world,  the  warehouse  being 
confided  to  the  care  of  the  testa 
mentary  executor,  who  dismissed 
me. 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  149 

My  brother-in-law,  Holmes,  who 
happened  to  be  at  Philadelphia,  ad 
vised  me  to  return  to  my  former 
profession  ;  and  Keimer  offered  me 
a  very  considerable  salary  if  I 
would  undertake  the  management 
of  his  printing-office,  that  he  might 
devote  himself  entirely  to  the  su 
perintendence  of  his  shop.  His 
wife  and  relations  in  London  had 
given  me  a  bad  character  of  him. 
and  I  was  loth,  for  the  present,  to 
have  any  concern  with  him.  I  en 
deavoured  to  get  employment  as  a 
clerk  to  a  merchant ;  but  not 
readily  finding  a  situation,  I  was 
induced  to  accept  Keimer's  proposal. 

I  soon  perceived  that  Keimer's 
infention  in  engaging  me  at  a  price 
so  much  above  what  he  was  accus 
tomed  to  give,  was,  that  I  might 


150  LIFE  OF 


form  all  his  raw  journeymen  and 
apprentices,  who  scarcely  cost  him 
anything,  and  who,  being  inden 
tured,  would,  as  soon  as  they  should 
be  sufficiently  instructed,  enable 
him  to  do  without  me.  I  neverthe 
less  adhered  to  my  agreement.  I 
put  his  office  in  order,  which  was 
in  the  utmost  confusion,  and  brought 
his  people,  by  degrees,  to  execute 
their  work  in  a  more  proper  man 
ner. 

I  increased  my  acquaintance 
with  persons  of  knowledge  and  in 
formation  in  the  town.  Keimer 
himself  treated  me  with  great  ci 
vility  and  apparent  esteem ;  and  I 
had  nothing  to  give  me  uneasiness 
but  my  debt  to  Vernon,  which  I 
was  unable  to  pay,  my  savings  as 
yet  being  very  little.  He  had  the 


BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  153 

goodness,  however,  not  to  ask  me 
for  the  money. 

Pur  press  was  frequently  in 
want  of  the  necessary  quantity  of 
letter,  and  there  was  no  such  trade 
as  that  of  letter- founder  in  America. 
I  had  seen  the  practice  of  this  art 
at  the  house  of  James,  in  London, 
but  at  the  same  time  paid  very  lit 
tle  attention  to  it.  I,  however, 
contrived  to  fabricate  a  mould.  I 
made  use  of  such  letters  as  we 
had  for  punches,  founded  new 
letters  of  lead  in  matrices  of  clay, 
and  thus  supplied,  in  a  tolerable 
manner,  the  wants  that  were  most 
pressing. 

I  also,  upon  occasion,  engraved 
various  ornaments,  made  ink,  gave 
an  eye  to  the  shop;  in  short,  I 
was,  in  every  respect,  the  factotum. 


154  LIFE  or 


But  useful  as  I  made  myself,  I 
perceived  that  my  services  became 
every  day  of  less  importance,  in 
proportion  as  the  other  men  im 
proved  ;  and  when  Keimer  paid  me 
my  second  quarter's  wages,  he 
game  me  to  understand  that  they 
were  too  heavy,  and  that  he  thought 
I  ought  to  make  an  abatement. 
He  became  by  degrees  less  civil, 
and  assumed  more  the  tone  of 
master.  He  frequently  found  fault, 
was  difficult  to  please,  and  seemed 
always  on  the  point  of  coming  to 
an  open  quarrel  with  me. 

I  continued,  however,  to  bear  it 
patiently,  conceiving  that  his  ill- 
humour  was  partly  occasioned  by 
the  derangement  and  embarrass 
ment  of  his  affairs.  At  last  a 
slight  incident  broke  our  con- 


BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN.  155 


nexion.  Hearing  a  noise  in  the 
neighbourhood,  I  put  my  head  out 
of  the  window  to  see  what  was  the 
matter.  Keimer  being  in  the  street, 
observed  me,  and,  in  a  loud  and 
angry  tone,  told  me  to  mind  my 
work ;  adding  some  reproachful 
words,  which  piqued  me  the  more 
as  they  were  uttered  in  the  street, 
and  the  neighbours,  whom  the  same 
noise  had  attracted  to  the  windows, 
were  witnesses  of  the  manner  in 
which  I  was  treated.  He  immedi 
ately  came  up  to  the  printing-room, 
and  continued  to  exclaim  against 
me.  The  quarrel  became  warm  on 
both  sides,  and  he  gave  me  notice 
to  quit  him  at  the  expiration  of  three 
months,  as  had  been  agreed  between 
os,  regretting  that  he  was  obliged 
>  to  give  me  so  long  a  term.  I  told 


156  LIFE  OF 


him  that  his  regret  was  superfluous, 
as  I  was  ready  to  quit  him  instant 
ly  ;  and  I  took  my  hat  and  came 
out  of  the  house,  begging  Meredith 
to  take  care  of  some  things  which 
I  left,  and  bring  them  to  my  lodg 
ings. 

Meredith  came  to  me  in  the 
evening.  We  talked  for  some  time 
upon  the  quarrel  that  had  taken 
place.  He  had  conceived  a  great 
veneration  for  me,  and  was  sorry  I 
should  quit  the  house  while  he  re 
mained  in  it.  He  dissuaded  me 
from  returning  to  my  native  coun 
try,  as  I  began  to  think  of  doing. 
He  reminded  me  that  Keimcr  owed 
more  than  he  possessed  ;  that  his 
creditors  began  to  be  alarmed ; 
that  he  kept  his  shop  in  a  wretched 
state,  often  selling  things  at  prime 


BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  157 

cost  for  the  sake  of  ready  money, 
and  continually  giving  credit,  with 
out  keeping  any  accounts  ;  that,  of 
consequence,  he  must  very  soon  fail, 
which  would  occasion  a  vacancy 
from  which  I  might  derive  advan 
tage.  I  objected  my  want  of  mo 
ney.  Upon  which  he  informed  me, 
that  his  father  had  a  very  high 
opinion  of  me,  and,  from  a  con 
versation  that  had  passed  between 
them,  he  was  sure  that  he  would 
advance  whatever  might  be  neces 
sary  to  establish  us,  if  I  was  willing 
to  enter  into  partnership  with  him. 
"  My  time  with  Keimer,  (added  he) 
will  be  at  an  end  next  spring.  In 
the  meantime  we  may  send  to 
London  for  our  press  and  types.  I 
know  that  I  am  no  workman  ;  but 
if  you  agree  to  the  proposal,  your 


158  LIFE  OF 

skill  in  the  business  will  be  balanced 
by  the  capital  I  will  furnish,  and 
we  will  share  the  profits  equally." 
His  proposal  was  reasonable,  and  I 
fell  in  with  it.  His  father,  who 
was  then  in  town,  approved  of  it. 
He  knew  that  I  had  some  ascen 
dency  over  his  son,  as  I  had  been 
able  to  prevail  on  him  to  abstain  a 
long  time  from  drinking  brandy  ; 
and  he  hoped,  that,  when  more 
closely  connected  with  him,  I  should 
cure  him  entirely  of  this  unfortu 
nate  habit. 

I  gave  the  father  a  list  of  what 
it  would  be  necessary  to  import 
from  London.  He  took  it  to  a 
merchant,  and  the  order  was  given. 
We  agreed  to  keep  the  secret  till 
the  arrival  of  the  materials,  and  I 
was,  in  the  mean  time,  to  procure 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  159 

work,  if  possible,  in  another  print 
ing-house  ;  but  there  was  no  place 
vacant,  and  I  remained  idle.  After 
some  days,  Keimer,  having  the 
expectation  of  being  employed  to 
print  some  New- Jersey  money-bills, 
that  would  require  types  and  en 
gravings,  which  I  only  could  fur 
nish,  and  fearful  that  Bradford,  by 
engaging  me,  might  deprive  him  of 
the  undertaking,  sent  me  a  very 
civil  message,  telling  me  that  old 
friends  ought  not  to  be  disunited 
on  account  of  a  few  words,  which 
were  the  effects  only  of  a  moment 
ary  passion,  and  inviting  me  to 
return  to  him.  Meredith  persuaded 
me  to  comply  with  the  invitation, 
particularly  as  it  would  afford  him 
more  opportunities  of  improving 
himself  in  the  business,  by  means 


160  LIFE  OF 

of  my  instructions.  I  did  so  ;  and 
we  lived  upon  better  terms  than 
before  our  separation. 

He  obtained  the  New-Jersey 
business ;  and,  in  order  to  execute 
it,  I  constructed  a  copper-plate  print 
ing-press,  the  first  that  had  been 
seen  in  the  country.  I  engraved 
various  ornaments  and  vignettes  for 
the  bills,  and  we  repaired  to  Bur 
lington  together,  where  I  executed  j 
the  whole  to  the  general  satisfaction;  j 
and  he  received  a  sum  of  money 
for  this  work,  which  enabled  him 
to  keep  his  head  above  water  for  a 
considerable  time  longer. 

At  Burlington  1  formed  an  ac 
quaintance  with  the  principal  per 
sonages  of  the  province,  many  of 
whom  were  commissioned  by  the 
Assembly  to  superintend  the  press, 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  161 


and  to  see  that  no  more  -bills  were 
printed  than  the  law  had  prescribed» 
Accordingly,  they  were  constantly 
with  us,  each  in  his  turn,  and  he 
that  came  commonly  brought  with 
him  a  friend  or  two,  to  bear  him 
company.  My  mind  was  more 
cultivated  by  reading  than  Keimer's, 
and  it  was  for  this  reason,  probably, 
that  they  set  more  value  on,  my 
conversation.  They  took  me  to 
their  houses,  introduced  me  to  their 
friends,  and  treated  me  with  the 
greatest  civility ;  while  Keimer, 
though  master,  saw  himself  a  little 
neglected.  He  was,  in  fact,  a 
strange  animal*  ignorant  of  the 
common  modes  of  life,  apt  to  oppose 
with  rudeness  generally  received 
opinions,  an  enthusiast  in  certain 
points  of  religion,  disgustingly  un- 


11 


162  LIFE  OF 


clean   in   his   person,  and  a  little 
knavish  withal. 

We  remained  there  nearly  three 
months,  and  at  the  expiration  of 
this  period  I  could  include  in  the 
list  of  my  friends,  Judge  Allen, 
Samuel  Bustil,  secretary  of  the 
province,  Isaac  Pearson,  Joseph 
Cooper,  several  of  the  Smiths,  all 
members  of  the  Assembly,  -and 
Isaac  Deacon,  Inspector-general. 
The  last  was  a  shrewd  and  subtle 
old  man.  He  told  me  that  when  a 
boy,  his  first  employment  had  been 
that  of  carrying  clay  to  brick- 
makers  ;  that  he  did  not  learn  to 
write,  till  he  was  somewhat  ad 
vanced  in  life ;  that  he  was  after 
wards  employed  as  an  underling  to 
a  surveyor,  who  taught  him  his 
trade ;  and  that,  by  industry,  he  had 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  163 


acquired  a  competent  fortune.  "  I 
foresee  (said  he  one  day  to  me)  that 
you  will  soon  supplant  this  man, 
(speaking  of  Keimer)  and  get  a 
fortune  in  the  business  at  Philadel 
phia."  He  was  wholly  ignorant  at 
the  time  of  my  intention  of  estab 
lishing  myself  there  or  anywhere 
else.  These  friends  were  very 
serviceable  to  me  in  the  end,  as 
was  I  also,  upon  occasion,  to  some 
of  them,  and  they  have  continued 
ever  since  their  esteem  for  me. 

I  had  not  long  returned  from 
Burlington  before  our  printing  ma 
terials  arrived  from  London.  I 
settled  my  accounts  with  Keimer, 
and  quitted  him,  with  his  own  con 
sent,  before  he  had  any  knowledge 
of  our  plan.  We  found  a  house  to 
let  near  the  market.  We  took  it, 


164  LIFE  OF 


and  to  render  the  rent  less  burthen- 
some  (it  was  then  twenty  pounds  a 
year,  but  I  have  since  known  it  to 
let  for  one  hundred  pounds,)  we 
admitted  Thomas  Godfrey,  a  gla 
zier,  with  his  family,  who  eased  us 
of  a  considerable  part  of  it,  and 
with  him  we  agreed  to  board. 

We  had  no  sooner  unpacked  our 
letters  and  put  our  press  in  order, 
than  a  person  of  my  acquaintance, 
George  House,  brought  us  a  coun 
tryman,  whom  he  had  met  in  the 
street  inquiring  for  a  printer.  Our 
money  was  almost  exhausted  by 
the  number  of  things  we  had  been 
obliged  to  procure.  The  five  shil 
lings  we  received  from  this  coun 
tryman,  the  first  fruits  of  our 
earnings,  coming  so  seasonably, 
gave  me  more  pleasure  than  any 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  165 

sum  I  have  since  gained  ;  and  the 
recollection  of  the  gratitude  I  felt  on 
this  occasion  to  George  House,  has 
rendered  me  often  more  disposed 
than  perhaps  I  should  otherwise 
have  been,  to  encourage  young  be 
ginners  in  trade. 

I  ought  to  have  related,  that,  du 
ring  the  autumn  of  the  preceding 
year,  I  had  united  the  majority  of 
well  informed  persons  into  a  club, 
which  we  called  by  the  name  of  the 
Junto,  and  the  object  of  which 
was  to  improve  our  understandings. 
We  met  every  Friday.  The  regu 
lations  I  drew  up  obliged  every 
member  to  propose,  in  his  turn, 
one  or  more  questions  upon  some 
point  of  morality,  politics,  or  phi 
losophy,  which  were  to  be  discussed 
by  the  society ;  and  to  read  once 


166  LIFE    OF 


in  three  months  an  essay  of  his 
own  composition,  on  whatever  sub 
ject  he  pleased.  Our  debates  were 
under  the  direction  of  a  president, 
and  were  to  be  dictated  only  by  a 
sincere  desire  of  truth,  the  pleasure 
of  disputing  and  the  vanity  of  tri 
umph  having  no  share  in  the  busi 
ness  ;  and  in  order  to  prevent  un 
due  warmth,  every  expression 
which  implied  obstinate  adherence 
to  an  opinion,  and  all  direct  con 
tradiction,  were  prohibited,  under 
small  pecuniary  penalties. 

This  was  the  best  school  of  pol 
itics  and  philosophy  that  then  ex 
isted  in  the  province ;  for  our 
questions,  which  were  read  a  week 
previous  to  their  discussion,  in 
duced  us  to  peruse  attentively  such 
books  as  were  written  upon  the 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  167 

subjects  proposed,  that  we  might  be 
able  to  speak  upon  them  more  per 
tinently.  We  thus  acquired  the 
habit  of  conversing  more  agreea 
bly  ;  every  subject  being  discussed 
conformably  to  our  regulations,  and 
in  a  manner  to  prevent  mutual  dis 
gust.  To  this  circumstance  may 
be  attributed  the  long  duration  of 
the  club,  which  I  shall  have  fre 
quent  occasion  to  mention,  as  I 
proceed. 

I  have  introduced  it  here,  as  be 
ing  one  of  the  means  on  which  I 
had  to  count  for  my  success  in  my 
business,  every  member  exerting 
himself  to  procure  work  for  us. 
Breintnal,  among  others,  obtained 
for  us,  on  the  part  of  the  Quakers, 
the  printing  of  forty  sheets  of  their 
history,  the  rest  of  which  was  to 


168  LIFE  OF 


be  done  by  Keimer.  Our  execution 
of  this  work  was  by  no  means 
masterly,  as  the  price  was  very 
low.  It  was  in  folio,  upon  Propa- 
tria  paper,  and  in  Pica  letter,  with 
heavy  notes  in  the  smallest  type.  I 
composed  a  sheet  a  day,  and  Mere 
dith  put  it  to  press.  It  was  fre 
quently  eleven  o'clock  at  night, 
sometimes  later,  before  I  had  finish 
ed  my  distribution  for  the  next  day's 
task ;  for  the  little  things  which 
our  friends  occasionally  sent  us, 
kept  us  back  in  this  work  ;  but  I  was 
so  determined  to  compose  a  sheet  a 
day,  that  one  evening,  when  my 
form  was  imposed,  and  my  day's 
work,  as  I  thought,  at  an  end,  an 
accident  having  broken  this  form, 
and  deranged  two  complete  folio 
pages,  I  immediately  distributed, 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  169 


and  composed  them  anew  before  I 
went  to  bed. 

This  unwearied  industry,  which 
was  perceived  by  our  neighbours, 
began  to  acquire  us  reputation  and 
credit.  I  learned,  among  other 
things,  that  our  new  printing-house 
being  the  subject  of  conversation 
at  a  club  of  merchants,  who  met 
every  evening,  it  was  the  general 
opinion  it  would  fail,  there  being 
already  two  printing-houses  in  the 
town,  Keimer's  and  Bradford's. 
But  Dr.  Bard,  whom  you  and  I  had 
occasion  to  see  many  years  after, 
at  his  native  town  of  St.  Andrew's, 
in  Scotland,  was  of  a  different 
opinion.  "  The  industry  of  this 
Franklin  (said  he)  is  superior  to 
anything  of  the  kind  I  have  ever 
witnessed.  I  see  him  still  at  work 


170  LIFE   OF 

when  I  return  from  the  club  at 
night,  and  he  is  at  it  again  in  the 
morning  before  his  neighbours  are 
out  of  bed."  This  account  struck 
the  rest  of  the  assembly,  and  short 
ly  after,  one  of  its  members  came 
to  our  house,  and  offered  to  supply 
us  with  articles  of  stationary ;  but 
we  wished  not  as  yet  to  embarrass 
ourselves  with  keeping  a  shop.  It 
is  not  for  the  sake  of  applause  that 
I  enter  so  freely  into  the  particulars 
of  my  industry,  but  that  such  of 
my  descendants  as  shall  read  these 
memoirs,  may  know  the  use  of 
this  virtue,  by  seeing,  in  the  recital 
of  my  life,  the  effects  it  operated 
in  my  favour. 

George  Webb,  having  found  a 
friend  who  lent  him  -the  necessary 
sum  to  buy  out  his  time  with  Kei- 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  171 

mer,  came  one  day  to  offer  himself 
to  us  as  a  journeyman.  We  could 
not  employ  him  immediately ;  but 
I  foolishly  told  him,  under  the  rose, 
that  I  intended  shortly  to  publish  a 
new  periodical  paper,  and  that  we 
should  then  have  work  for  him. 
My  hopes  of  success  which  I  im 
parted  to  him,  were  founded  on  the 
circumstance,  that  the  only  paper 
we  had  in  Philadelphia,  at  that  time, 
and  which  Bradford  printed,  was  a 
paltry  thing,  miserably  conducted, 
in  no  respect  amusing,  and  yet  was 
profitable.  Webb  betrayed  my 
secret  to  Keimer,  who,  to  prevent 
me,  immediately  published  the 
prospectus  of  a  paper  that  he  in 
tended  to  institute  himself,  and  in 
which  Webb  was  to  be  engaged. 
I  was  exasperated  at  this  pro- 


172  LIFE    OF 

ceeding,  and,  with  a  view  to  coun 
teract  them,  not  being  able  at 
present  to  institute  my  own  paper, 
I  wrote  some  humorous  pieces  in 
Bradford's,  under  the  title  of  the- 
Busy-Body,  and  which  was  con 
tinued  for  several  months  by  Breint- 
nal.  I  hereby  fixed  the  attention 
of  the  public  upon  Bradford's  paper; 
and  the  prospectus  of  Keimer, 
which  he  turned  into  ridicule,  was 
treated  with  contempt.  He  began, 
notwithstanding,  his  paper,  and 
after  continuing  it  for  nine  months, 
hav-ing  at  most  not  more  than  ninety 
subscribers,  he  offered  it  me  for 
a  mere  trifle.  I  had  for  some  time 
been  ready  for  such  an  engagement; 
I  therefore  instantly  took  it  upon 
myself,  and  in  a  few  years  it  proved 
extremely  profitable  to  me. 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  173 


Our  first  number  produced  no 
other  effect  than  any  other  paper 
which  had  appeared  in  the  province, 
as  to  type  and  printing,  but  some 
remarks,  in  my  peculiar  style  of 
writing,  upon  the  dispute  which  then 
prevailed  between  Governor  Burnet 
and  the  Massachusetts  Assembly, 
struck  some  persons  as  above 
mediocrity,  caused  the  paper  and 
its  editors  to  be  talked  of,  and  in  a 
few  weeks  induced  them  to  become 
our  subscribers.  Many  others  fol 
lowed  their  example^  and  our  sub 
scription  began  to  increase.  This 
was  one  of  the  first  good  effects  of 
the  pains  I  had  taken  to  learn  to 
put  my  ideas  on  paper.  I  derived 
this  further  advantage  from  it,  that 
the  leading  men  in  the  place,  seeing, 
in  the  author  of  this  publication,  a 


174  LIFE  OF 


man  so  well  able  to  use  his  pen, 
thought  it  right  to  encourage  and 
patronize  me. 

The  votes,  laws,  and  other  public 
pieces,  were  printed  by  Bradford. 
An  address  of  the  house  of  Assem 
bly  to  the  governor,  had  been  exe 
cuted  by  him  in  a  very  coarse  and 
incorrect  manner.  We  reprinted 
it  with  accuracy  and  neatness,  and 
sent  a  copy  to  every  member ;  they 
perceived  the  difference,  and  it  so 
strengthened  the  influence  of  our 
friends  in  the  Assembly,  that  we 
were  nominated  its  printer  for  the 
following  year. 

Among  these  friends,  I  ought  not 
to  forget  one  member  in  particular, 
Mr.  Hamilton,  whom  I  have  men 
tioned  in  a  former  part  of  my  nar 
rative,  and  who  was  now  returned 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  175 

from  England.  He  warmly  interest 
ed  himself  for  me  on  this  occasion, 
as  he  did  likewise  on  many  others 
afterwards,  having  continued  his 
kindness  to  me  till  his  death. 

About  this  period  Mr.  Vernon 
reminded  me  of  the  debt  I  owed 
him,  but  without  pressing  me  for 
payment.  I  wrote  him  a  handsome 
letter  on  the  occasion,  begging  him 
to  wait  a  little  longer,  to  which  he 
consented  ;  and  as  soon  as  I  was 
able  I  paid  him  principal  and  inter 
est,  with  many  expressions  of 
gratitude :  so  that  this  error  of 
my  life  was  in  a  manner  atoned 
for. 

But  another  trouble  now  happen 
ed  to  me,  which,  I  had  not  the 
smallest  reason  to  expect.  Mere 
dith's  father,  who,  according  to  our 


176  LIFE  OF 


agreement,  was  to  defray  the  whole 
expense  of  our  printing  materials, 
had  only  paid  one  hundred  pounds. 
Another  hundred  was  still  due,  and 
the  merchant  being  tired  of  waiting, 
commenced  a  suit  against  us.  We 
bailed  the  action,  with  a  melancholy 
prospect,  that  if  the  money  was 
not  forthcoming  at  the  time  fixed, 
the  affair  would  come  to  issue, 
judgment  be  put  in  execution,  our 
delightful  hopes  be  annihilated,  and 
ourselves  entirely  ruined ;  as  the 
type  and  press  must  be  sold,  per 
haps  at  half  their  value,  to  pay  the 
debt. 

In  this  distress,  two  real  friends* 
whose  generous  conduct  I  have 
never  forgotten^  and  never  shall 
forget  while  I  retain  the  remem 
brance  of  any  thing,  came  to  me 


BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN.  177 


separately,  without  the  knowledge 
of  each  other,  and  without  my 
having  applied  to  them.  Each  of 
fered  me  whatever  sum  might  be 
necessary  to  take  the  business  into 
my  own  hands,  if  the  thing  was 
practicable,  as  they  did  not  like  I 
should  continue  in  partnership  with 
Meredith,  who,  they  Said,  was  fre 
quently  seen  drunk  in  the  streets, 
and  gambling  at  ale-houses,  which 
very  much  injured  our  credit. — 
These  friends  were  William  Cole- 
man  and  Robert  Grace.  I  paid  the 
partnership  debts,  and  continued 
the  business  on  my  own  account, 
taking  care  to  inform  the  public,  by 
advertisement,  of  the  partnership 
being  dissolved.  This  was,  I  think, 
in  the  year  1729,  or  thereabout. 
Nearly  at  the  same  period  the 


12 


178  LIFE  OF 


people  demanded  a  new  emission 
of  paper  money,  the  existing  and 
only  one  that  had  taken  place  in 
the  province,  and  which  amounted 
to  fifteen  thousand  pounds,  being 
soon  to  expire.  The  wealthy  in 
habitants,  prejudiced  against  every 
sort  of  paper  currency,  from  the 
fear  of  its  depreciation,  of  which 
there  had  been  an  instance  in  New- 
England,  to  the  injury  of  its  hold 
ers,  strongly  opposed  the  measure. 
We  had  discussed  this  affair  in 
our  Junto,  in  which  I  was  on  the 
side  of  the  new  emission ;  convin 
ced  that  the  first  small  sum  fabrica 
ted  in  1723  had  done  much  good  in 
the  province,  by  favouring  com 
merce,  industry,  and  population, 
since  all  the  houses  were  now  in 
habited,  and  many  others  building  ; 


BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  179 


whereas  I  remembered  to  have 
seen,  when  first  I  paraded  the  streets 
of  Philadelphia,  eating  my  roll,  the 
majority  of  those  in  Walnut  street, 
Second  street,  Fourth  street,  as  well 
as  a  great  number  in  Chesnut,  and 
other  streets,  with  papers  on  them, 
signifying  that  they  were  to  be  let, 
which  made  me  think  at  the  time 
that  the  inhabitants  of  the  town 
were  deserting  it  one  after  another. 
Our  debates  made  me  so  fully 
master  of  the  subject,  that  I  wrote 
and  published  an  anonymous  pam 
phlet,  entitled,  "  An  Inquiry  into 
the  Nature  and  Necessity  of  a  paper 
Currency."  It  was  very  well  re 
ceived  by  the  lower  and  middling 
class  of  people ;  but  it  displeased 
the  opulent,  as  it  increased  the  cla 
mour  in  favour  of  the  new  emission. 


180  LIFE  OF 


Having,  however,  no  writer  among 
them  capable  of  answering  it,  their 
opposition  became  less  violent ;  and 
there  being  in  the  House  of  Assem 
bly  a  majority  for  the  measure,  it 
passed.  The  friends  I  had  acquired 
in  the  House,  persuaded  that  I  had 
done  the  country  essential  service 
on  this  occasion,  rewarded  me  by 
giving  me  the  printing  of  the  bills. 
It  was  a  lucrative  employment,  and 
proved  a  very  seasonable  help  to 
me;  another  advantage  which  I 
derived  from  having  habituated  my 
self  to  write. 

Time  and  experience  so  fully 
demonstrated  the  utility  of  paper 
currency,  that  it  never  experienced 
any  considerable  opposition ;  so 
that  it  soon  amounted  to  £55,000, 
and  in  the  year  1739,  to  £80,000. 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  181 

It  has  since  risen,  during  the  last 
war,  to  £350,000,  trade,  buildings, 
and  population  having  in  the  inter 
val  continually  increased ;  but  I  am 
now  convinced  that  there  are  limits 
beyond  which  paper  money  would 
be  prejudicial. 

I  soon  after  obtained,  by  the 
influence  of  my  friend  Hamilton, 
the  printing  of  the  Newcastle  paper 
money,  another  profitable  work,  as 
I  then  thought  it,  little  things  ap 
pearing  great  to  persons  of  moder 
ate  fortune ;  and  they  were  really 
great  to  me,  as  proving  great  en 
couragements.  He  also  procured 
me  the  printing  of  the  laws  and 
votes  of  that  government,  which  I 
retained  as  long  as  I  continued  in 
the  business. 

I  now  opened  a  small  stationer's 


182  LIFE  OF 


shop.  I  kept  bonds  and  agreements 
of  all  kinds  drawn  up  in  a  more 
accurate  form  than  had  yet  been 
seen  in  that  part  of  the  world,  a 
work  in  which  I  was  assisted  by 
my  friend  Breintnal.  I  had  also 
paper,  parchment,  pasteboard, 
books,  &c.  One  Whitemash,  an 
excellent  compositor,  whom  I  had 
known  in  London,  came  to  offer 
himself.  I  engaged  him,  and  he 
continued  constantly  at  work  with 
me ;  I  also  took  an  apprentice,  the 
son  of  Aquila  Rose. 

I  began  to  pay  by  degrees  the 
debt  I  had  contracted,  and  in  order 
to  insure  my  credit  and  character 
as  a  tradesman,  I  took  care  not 
only  to  be  really  industrious  and 
frugal,  but  also  to  avoid  every 
appearance  of  the  contrary.  I  was 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  183 

plainly  dressed,  and  never  seen  in 
any  place  of  amusement.  I  never 
went  a  fishing  or  hunting.  A  book, 
indeed,  enticed  me  sometimes  from 
my  work,  but  it  was  seldom,  by 
stealth,  and  occasioned  no  scandal  ; 
and  to  show  that  I  was  not  above 
my  profession,  I  conveyed  home 
sometimes  in  a  wheelbarrow  the 
paper  I  purchased  at  the  warehouses. 

I  thus  obtained  the  reputation  of 
being  an  industrious  young  man, 
and  very  punctual  in  my  payments. 
The  merchants  who  imported 
articles  of  stationary  solicited  my 
custom,  others  offered  to  furnish 
me  with  books,  and  my  little  trade 
went  on  prosperously. 

Meanwhile  the  business  and 
credit  of  Keimer  diminishing  every 
day,  he  was  at  last  forced  to  sell 


184  LIFE  OF 


his  stock  to  satisfy  his  creditors, 
and  he  betook  himself  to  Barbadoes, 
where  he  lived  some  time  in  a  very 
impoverished  state.  His  apprentice, 
David  Harry,  whom  I  had  instruct 
ed  while  I  worked  with  -Keimer, 
having  bought  his  materials,  suc 
ceeded  him  in  the  business.  I  was 
apprehensive  at  first  of  finding  in 
Harry  a  powerful  competitor,  as 
he  was  allied  to  an  opulent  and 
respectable  family ;  I  therefore  pro 
posed  a  partnership,  which,  happily 
for  me,  he  rejected  with  disdain. 
He  was  extremely  proud,  thought 
himself  a  fine  gentleman,  lived  ex 
travagantly,  and  pursued  amuse 
ments  which  suffered  him  to  be 
scarcely  ever  at  home  ;  of  conse 
quence,  he  became  in  debt,  neglect 
ed  his  business,  and  business  ne- 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  185 


glected  him.  Finding  in  a  short 
time  nothing  to  be  done  in  the 
country,  he  followed  Keimer  to 
Barbadoes,  carrying  his  printing 
materials  with  him.  There  the 
apprentice  employed  his  old  master 
as  a  journeyman.  They  were 
continually  quarrelling,  and  Harry 
still  getting  in  debt,  was  obliged  at 
last  to  sell  his  press  and  types,  and 
return  to  his  old  occupation  of 
•husbandry  in  Pennsylvania.  The 
person  who  purchased  them  em 
ployed  Keimer  to  manage  the 
business,  but  he  died  a  few  years 
after. 

I  had  now  at  Philadelphia  no 
competitor  but  Bradford,  who,  be 
ing  in  easy  circumstances,  did  not 
engage  in  the  printing  of  books, 
except  now  and  then  as  workmen 


186  LIFE  OF 


chanced  to  offer  themselves,  and 
was  not  anxious  to  extend  his 
trade.  He  had,  however,  one  ad 
vantage  over  me,  as  he  had  the 
direction  of  the  post-office,  and  was, 
of  consequence,  supposed  to  have 
better  opportunities  of  obtaining 
news.  His  paper  was  also  supposed 
to  be  more  advantageous  to  adver 
tising  customers,  and  in  conse 
quence  of  that  supposition,  his 
advertisements  were  much  more , 
numerous  than  mine ;  this  was  a 
source  of  great  profit  to  him,  and 
disadvantageous  to  me.  It  was  to 
no  purpose  that  I  really  procured 
other  papers,  and  distributed  my 
own,  by  means  of  the  post ;  the  pub 
lic  took  for  granted  my  inability  in 
this  respect,  and  I  was  indeed  una 
ble  to  conquer  it  in  any  other  mode 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  187 

than  by  bribing  the  post-boys,  who 
served  me  only  by  stealth,  Brad 
ford  being  so  illiberal  as  to  forbid 
them.  This  treatment  of  his  exci 
ted  my  resentment,  and  my  disgust 
was  so  rooted,  that  when  I  after 
wards  succeeded  him  in  the  post- 
office,  I  took  care  to  avoid  copying 
his  example. 

I  had  hitherto  continued  to  board 
with  Godfrey,  who,  with  his  wife 
and  children,  occupied  part  of  my 
house,  and  half  the  shop  for  his 
business,  at  which  indeed  he  worked 
very  little,  being  always  absorbed 
by  mathematics.  Mrs.  Godfrey 
formed  a  wish  of  marrying  me  to 
the  daughter  of  one  of  her  rela 
tions.  She  contrived  various  oppor 
tunities  of  bringing  us  together,  till 
she  saw  that  I  was  captivated, 


188  LIFE  OF 

which  was  not  difficult,  the  lady  in 
question  possessing  great  personal 
merit.  The  parents  encouraged 
my  addresses,  by  inviting  me  con 
tinually  to  supper,  and  leaving  us 
together,  till  at  last  it  was  time  to 
come  to  an  explanation.  Mrs.  God 
frey  undertook  to  negotiate  our  little 
treaty.  I  gave  her  to  understand 
that  1  expected  to  receive  with  the 
young  lady  a  sum  of  money  that 
would  enable  me  at  least  to  dis 
charge  the  remainder  of  debt  for  my 
printing  materials.  It  was  then,  I 
believe,  not  more  than  one  hundred 
pounds.  She  brought,  me  for 
answer,  that  they  had  no  such  sum 
at  their  disposal.  I  observed,  that 
it  might  easily  be  obtained  by  a 
mortgage  on  their  house.  The  re 
ply  to  this  was,  after  a  few  days 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  189 

interval,  that  they  did  not  approve  of 
the  match  ;  that  they  had  consulted 
Bradford,  and  found  that  the  busi 
ness  of  a  printer  was  not  lucra 
tive  ;  that  my  letters  would  soon  be 
worn  out,  and  must  be  supplied 
by  new  ones ;  that  Keimer  and 
Harry  had  failed,  and  that,  proba 
bly,  I  should  do  so  too.  Accord 
ingly,  he  forbade  me  the  house, 
and  the  young  lady  was  confined. 
I  know  not  if  they  had  really 
changed  their  minds,  or  if  it  was 
merely  an  artifice,  supposing  our 
affections  to  be  too  far  engaged  to 
desist,  and  that  we  should  contrive 
to  marry  secretly,  which  would 
leave  them  at  liberty  to  give  or  not 
as  they  pleased.  But  suspecting 
this  motive,  I  never  went  again  to 
their  house. 


190  LIFE   OF 


As  a  neighbour  and  an  old  ac 
quaintance,  I  kept  up  a  friendly 
intimacy  with  the  family  of  Miss 
Read.  Her  parents  retained  an 
affection  for  me  from  the  time  of 
my  lodging  in  their  house.  I  was 
often  invited  thither,  they  consulted 
me  about  their  affairs,  and  I  had 
been  sometimes  serviceable  to 
them.  I  was  touched  with  the  un 
happy  situation  of  their  daughter, 
who  was  almost  always  melan 
choly,  and  continually  seeking  soli 
tude.  I  regarded  my  forgetfulness 
and  inconstancy,  during  my  abode 
in  London,  as  the  principal  cause  of 
her  misfortune,  though  her  mother 
had  the  candour  to  attribute  the 
fault  to  herself,  rather  than  to  me, 
because  after  having  prevented  our 
marriage  previous  to  my  departure, 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  191 

she  had  induced  her  to  marry  an 
other  in  my  absence. 

Our  mutual  affection  revived,  but 
there  existed  great  obstacles  to  our 
union.  Her  marriage  was  con 
sidered,  indeed,  as  not  being  valid, 
the  man  having,  as  it  was  said,  a 
former  wife  still  living  in  England  ; 
but  of  this  it  was  difficult  to  obtain 
a  proof  at  so  great  a  distance ;  and 
though  a  report  prevailed  of  his 
being  dead,  yet  we  had  no  certainty 
of  it ;  and  supposing  it  to  be  true, 
he  had  left  many  debts,  for  the 
payment  of  which  his  successor 
might  be  sued.  We  ventured, 
nevertheless,  in  spite  of  all  these 
difficulties,  and  I  married  her  on 
the  first  of  September,  1730.  None 
of  the  inconveniences  we  had  feared 
happened  to  us.  She  proved  to  me 


192  Lire  OF 


a  good  and  faithful  companion,  and 
contributed  essentially  to  the  success 
of  my  shop.  We  prospered  to 
gether,  and  it  was  our  mutual  study 
to  render  each  other  happy.  Thus 
I  corrected,  as  well  as  I  could,  this 
great  error  of  my  youth. 

Our  club  was  not  at  that  time 
established  at  a  tavern.  We  held 
our  meetings  at  the  house  of  Mr. 
Grace,  who  appropriated  a  room  to 
the  purpose.  Some  member  ob 
served,  one  day,  that,  as  our  books 
were  frequently  quoted  in  the  course 
of  our  discussions,  it  would  be  con 
venient  to  have  them  collected  in 
the  room  in  which  we  assembled, 
in  order  to  be  consulted  upon  occa 
sion  ;  and  that,  by  thus  forming  a 
common  library  of  our  individual 
collections,  each  would  have  the 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  193 

advantage  of  using  the  books  of 
all  the  other  members,  which  would 
nearly  be  the  same  as  if  he  pos 
sessed  them  all  himself.  The  idea 
was  approved,  and  we  accordingly 
brought  such  books  as  we  thought 
we  could  spare,  which  were  placed 
at  the  end  of  the  club-room.  They 
amounted  not  to  so  many  as  we  ex 
pected,  and  though  we  made  consid 
erable  use  of  them,  yet  some  incon 
veniences  resulting  from  want  of 
care,  it  was  agreed,  after  about  a 
year,  to  destroy  the  collection,  and 
each  took  away  such  books  as  be 
longed  to  him.  It  was  now  that  I 
first  started  the  idea  of  establishing, 
by  subscription,  a  public  library.  I 
drew  up  the  proposals,  had  them 
ingrossed  in  form  by  Brockden  the 
attorney,  and  my  project  succeeded. 


13 


194  LIFE  OF 


[Thus  far  goes  the  narrative  by  the  Doctor's   j 
own  hand,  and  every  reader  of  taste  must  be 
pleased  with  the  frank,  ingenuity  and  beautiful 
simplicity  of  the  writej-.     What  follows  was 
written  by  Dr.  Stuber.] 

THE  promotion  of  literature  had  j 
been  little  attended  to  in  Pennsyl-  ; 
vania.      Most  of    the    inhabitants  j 
were  too  much  immersed  in  business 
to  think  of  scientific  pursuits,  and 
those    few  whose   inclinations    led 
them  to  study,  found  it  difficult  to 
gratify    them,    from    the    want    of 
sufficiently  large  libraries.     Fn  such 
circumstances,  the  establishment  of 
a  public  library  was  an  important 
event.     This  was  first  set  on  foot 
by  Franklin,  about  the  year  1731. 
Fifty  persons  subscribed  forty  shil 
lings  each,  and  agreed  to  pay  ten  | 
shillings    annually.     The  number  >. 
increased,  and   in  1742  the  com-  I 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  197 

•  pany  was  incorporated  by  the  name 
of  "  The  Library  Company  of 
Philadelphia."  Several  other  com 
panies  were  formed  in  this  city,  in 
imitation  of  it.  These  were  all  at 
length  united  with  the  Library 
Company  of  Philadelphia,  which 
thus  received  a  considerable  ac 
cession  of  books  and  property.  It 
now  contains  about  nine  thousand 
volumes,  on  all  subjects,  a  philoso 
phical  apparatus,  and  a  good  be 
ginning  towards  a  collection  of 
natural  and  artificial  curiosities, 
besides  landed  property  of  consid 
erable  value.  The  company  built 
an  elegant  house  in  Fifth  street,  in 
front  of  which  is  erected  a  marble 
statue  of  their  founder,  Benjamin 
Franklin. 
'  The  beneficial  effects  of  this  in- 


198  LIFE  OF 


stitution-  were  soon  evident.  The 
cheapness  of  terms  rendered  it  ac 
cessible  to  every  one.  Its  advan 
tages  were  not  confined  to  the 
opulent.  The  citizens  in  the  mid 
dle  and  lower  walks  of  life  were 
equally  partakers  of  them.  Hence, 
a  degree  of  information  was  ex 
tended  amongst  all  classes  of  people 
which  is  very  unusual  in  other 
places.  The  example  was  soon 
followed.  Libraries  were  estab 
lished  in  various  places,  and  they 
are  now  become  very  numerous  in 
the  United  States,  and  particularly 
in  Pennsylvania.  It  is  to  be  hoped 
that  they  will  be  still  more  widely 
extended,  and  that  information  will 
be  everywhere  increased.  This 
will  be  the  best  security  for  main- 
tainina  our  liberties.  A  nation  of 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  199 


well  informed  men,  who  have  been 
taught  to  know  and  prize  the  rights 
which  God  has  given  them,  cannot 
be  enslaved.  It  is  in  the  regions  of 
Ignorance  that  Tyranny  reigns.  It 
flies  before  the  light  of  Science. 
Let  the  citizens  of  America,  then, 
encourage  institutions  calculated  to 
diffuse  knowledge  amongst  the  peo 
ple  ;  and,  amongst  these,  public 
libraries  are  not  the  least  impor 
tant. 

In  1732,  Franklin  began  to  pub 
lish  Poor  Richard's  Almanack. — 
This  was  remarkable  for  the  nu 
merous  and  valuable  concise  max 
ims  which  it  contained,  all  tending 
to  exhort  to  industry  and  frugality. 
It  was  continued  for  many  years. 
In  the  almanack  for  the  last  year, 
all  the  maxims  were  collected  in 


200  LIFE  OF 


an  address  to  the  reader,  entitled* 
The  Way  to  Wealth.  This  has 
been  translated  into  various  lan 
guages,  and  inserted  in  different 
publications.  This  address  contains 
perhaps,  the  best  practical  system 
of  economy  that  ever  has  appeared. 
It  is  written  in  a  manner  intelligible 
to  every  one,  and  which  cannot 
fail  of  convincing  every  reader  of 
the  justice  and  propriety  of  the  re 
marks  and  advice  which  it  contains. 
The  demand  for  this  almanack  was 
so  great,  that  ten  thousand  have 
been  sold  in  one  year, which  must  be 
considered  as  a  very  large  number, 
especially  when  we  reflect,  that 
this  country  was,  at  that  time,  but 
thinly  peopled.  It  cannot  be  doubt 
ed  that  the  salutary  maxims  con 
tained  in  these  almanacks,  must 


BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN.  201 

have  made  a  favourable  impression 
upon  many  of  the  readers  of  them. 

It  was  not  long  before  Franklin 
entered  upon  his  political  career. 
In  the  year  1736,  he  was  appointed 
Clerk  to  the  General  Assembly  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  was  re-elected 
by  succeeding  Assemblies  for  sev 
eral  years,  until  he  was  chosen  a 
representative  for  the  city  of  Phila 
delphia. 

Bradford  was  possessed  of  some 
advantages  over  Franklin,  by  being 
postmaster,  thereby  having  an  op 
portunity  of  circulating  his  paper 
more  extensively,  and  thus  render 
ing  it  a  better  vehicle  for  advertise 
ments,  &c.  Franklin,  in  his  turn, 
enjoyed  these  advantages,  by  being 
appointed  postmaster  of  Philadel 
phia,  in  1737.  Bradford,  while  in 


202  LIFE  OF 


office,  had  acted  ungenerously 
towards  Franklin,  preventing,  as 
much  as  possible,  the  circulation  of 
his  paper.  He  had  now  an  oppor 
tunity  of  retaliating,  but  his  noble 
ness  of  soul  prevented  him  from 
making  use  of  it. 

There  is  nothing  more  dangerous 
to  growing  cities  than  fires.  Other 
causes  operate  slowly,  and  almost 
imperceptibly  ;  but  these,  in  a  mo 
ment,  render  abortive  the  labours  of 
years.  On  this. account  there  should 
be,  in  all  cities,  ample  provisions 
to  prevent  fires  from  spreading. 
Franklin  early  saw  the  necessity  of 
these,  and  about  the  year  1738, 
formed  the  first  fire  company  in 
this  city.  This  example  was  soon 
followed  by  others,  and  there  are 
now  numerous  fire  companies  in 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  203 

the  city  and  liberties.  To  these  may 
be  attributed,  in  a  great  degree,  the 
activity  in  extinguishing  fires,  for 
which  the  citizens  of  Philadelphia 
are  distinguished,  and  the  inconsid 
erable  damage  which  this  city  has 
sustained  from  this  cause.  Some 
time  after,  Franklin  suggested  the 
plan  of  an  association  for  insuring 
houses  from  losses  by  fire,  which 
was  adopted,  and  the  association 
continues  to  this  day.  The  advan 
tages  experienced  from  it  have  been 
great. 

Pursuits  of  a  different  nature 
now  occupied  the  greatest  part  of 
Franklin's  attention  for  some  years. 
He  engaged  in  a  course  of  electri 
cal  experiments,  with  all  the  ardour 
and  thirst  for  discovery  which 
characterized  the  philosophers  of 


204  LIFE  OF 


that  day.  Of  all  the  branches  of 
experimental  philosophy,  electricity 
had  been  least  explored.  The  at 
tractive  power  of  amber  is  men 
tioned  by  Theophrastus  and  Pliny, 
and,  from  them,  by  later  naturalists. 
In  the  year  1600,  Gilbert,  an  En 
glish  physician,  enlarged  consider 
ably  the  catalogue  of  substances 
which  have  the  property  of  attract 
ing  light  bodies.  Boyle,  Otto 
Guericke,  a  burgomaster  of  Mag 
deburg,  celebrated  as  the  inventor 
of  the  air-pump,  Dr.  Wall,  and 
Sir  Isaac  Newton,  added  some  facts. 
Guericke  first  observed  the  repulsive 
power  of  electricity,  and  the-  light 
and  noise  produced  by  it.  In  1 709, 
Hawkesbee  communicated  some 
important  observations  and  experi 
ments  to  the  world.  For  several 


BENJAMIN    FllANKLIN.  205 


years  electricity  was  entirely  neg 
lected,  until  Mr.  Grey  applied  him 
self  to  it,  in  1728,  with  great 
assiduity.  He,  and  his  friend  Mr. 
Wheeler,  made  a  great  variety  of 
experiments;  in  which  they  de 
monstrated  that  electricity  may  be 
communicated  from  one  body  to 
another,  even  without  being  in  con 
tact,  and  in  this  way  may  be  con 
ducted  to  a  great  distance.  Mr. 
Grey  afterwards  found,  that  by 
suspending  rods  of  iron  by  silk  or 
hair  lines,  and  bringing  an  excited 
tube  under  them,  sparks  might 
be  drawn,  and  a  light  perceived  at 
the  extremities,  in  the  dark.  M.  Du- 
Faye,  intendant  of  the  French 
King's  gardens,  made  a  number  of 
experiments,  which  added  not  a 
little  to  the  science.  He  made  the 


800  LIFE  OF 

discovery  of  two  kinds  of  electricity, 
which  he  called  vitreous  and  resin 
ous,  the  former  produced  by  rubbing 
glass,  the  latter  from  excited  sul 
phur,  sealing-wax,  &c.  But  this 
idea  he  afterwards  gave  up  as 
erroneous,  Between  the  years  1739 
and  1742,  Desaguliers  made  a 
number  of  experiments,  but  added 
little  of  importance*  He  first  used 
the  terms  conductors  and  electrics 
per  sc.  In  1742^  several  ingenious 
Germans  engaged  in  this  subject. 
Of  these  the  principal  were*  Pro 
fessor  Boze,  of  Wittcmburg1 — 'Pro 
fessor  Winkler,  of  Lei psic,— Gor 
don,  a  Scotch  Benedictine  monk, 
professor  of  philosophy  at  Erfurt — 
and  Dr.  Lunolf,  of  Berlin.  The 
result  of  their  researches  astonished 
the  philosophers  of  Europe.  Their 


BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN,  207 

apparatus  was  large,  and  by  means 
of  it  they  were  enabled  to  collect 
large  quantities  of  electricity,  and 
thus  to  produce  phenomena  which 
had  been  hitherto  unobserved. 
They  killed  small  birds,  and  set 
spirits  on  fire.  Their  experiments 
excited  the  curiosity  of  other  phi 
losophers.  Collinson,  about  the 
year  1745,  sent  to  the  Library 
Company  of  Philadelphia  an  ac 
count  of  these  experiments,  to 
gether  with  a  tube,  and  directed 
how  to  use  it.  Franklin,  with 
some  of  his  friends,  immediately 
engaged  in  a  course  of  experiments, 
the  result  of  which  is  well  "known. 
He  was  enabled  to  make  a  number 
of  important  discoveries,  and  to 
propose  theories  to  account  for  va 
rious  phenomena,  which  have  beeri 


208  LIFE  OF 


universally  adopted,  and  which  bid 
fair  to  endure  for  ages.  His  ob 
servations  he  communicated  in  a 
series  of  letters  to  his  friend  Col- 
linson,  the  first  of  which  is  dated 
the  twenty-eighth  of  March,  1747. 
In  these  he  makes  known  the 
power  of  points  in  drawing  and 
throwing  off  the  electrical  matter, 
which  had  hitherto  escaped  the 
notice  of  electricians.  He  also 
made  the  grand  discovery  of  a 
plus  and  minus,  or  of  a  positive 
and  negative  state  of  electricity. 
We  give  him  the  honour  of  this, 
without  hesitation,  although  the 
English-  have  claimed  it  for  their 
countrymen,  Dr.  Watson.  Wat 
son's  paper  is  dated  January  21, 
1748.  Franklin's  July  11,  1747, 
several  months  prior. 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  209 

It  was  not  until  the  summer  of 
1752,  that  he  was  enabled  to  com 
plete  his  unparalleled  discovery  by 
experiment.  The  plan  which  he 
originally  proposed,  was  to  erect  on 
some  high  tower,  or  other  elevated 
place,  a  sentry-box,  from  which 
should  rise  a  pointed  iron  rod,  in 
sulated  by  being  fixed  in  a  cake  of 
resin.  Electrified  clouds  passing 
over  this  would,  he  conceived,  im 
part  to  it  a  portion  of  their  elec 
tricity,  which  would  be  rendered 
evident  to  the  senses  by  sparks  being 
emitted,  when  a  key,  a  knuckle, 
or  other  conductor  was  presented 
to  it.  Philadelphia,  at  this  time, 
afforded  no  opportunity  of  trying 
an  experiment  of  this  kind.  Whilst 
Franklin  was  waiting  for  the  erec 
tion  of  a  spire,  it  occurred  to  him, 


14 


i    210  LIFE  OF- 


that  he  might  have  more  free  access 
to  the  region  of  clouds  by  means 
of  a  common  kite.  He  prepared 
one  by  attaching  two  cross  sticks 
to  a  silk  handkerchief,  which  would 
not  suffer  so  much  from  the  rain 
as  paper.  To  his  upright  stick 
was  affixed  an  iron  point.  The 
string  was,  as  usual,  of  hemp,  ex 
cept  the  lower  end,  which  was 
silk.  Where  the  hempen  string  ter 
minated,  a  key  was  fastened.  With 
this  apparatus,  on  the  appearance  of 
a  thunder-gust  approaching,  he 
went  out  in  the  commons,  accom 
panied  by  his  son,  to  whom  alone 
he  communicated  his  intentions, 
well  knowing  the  ridicule  which, 
too  generally  for  the  interest  of 
science,  awaits  unsuccessful  ex 
periments  in  philosophy.  He  placed 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  213 

himself  under  a  shed  to  avoid  the 
rain.  His  kite  was  raised — a 
thunder-cloud  passed  over  it  —  no 
sign  of  electricity  appeared  —  he 
almost  despaired  of  success — when, 
suddenly,  he  observed  the  loose 
fibres  of  his  string  move. towards 
an  erect  position.  He  now  pre 
sented  his  knuckle  to  the  key,  and 
received  a  strong  spark.  How  ex 
quisite  must  his  sensations  have 
been  at  this  moment !  On  this 
experiment  depended  the  fate  of  his 
theory.  If  he  succeeded,  his  name 
would  rank  high  among  those  who 
have  improved  science  ;  if  he  failed, 
he  must  be  inevitably  subject  to  the 
derision  of  mankind  ;  or,  what  is 
worse,  their  pity,  as  a  well-mean 
ing  man,  but  a  weak,  silly  projector. 
The  anxiety  with  which  he  looked 


214  LIFE  OF 


for  the  result  of  his  experiment 
may  easily  be  conceived.  Doubts 
and  despair  had  begun  to  prevail, 
when  the  fact  was  ascertained  in 
so  clear  a  manner,  that  even  the 
most  incredulous  could  not  with 
hold  their  assent.  Repeated  sparks 
were  drawn  from  the  key,  a  phial 
was  charged,  a  shock  given,  and 
all  the  experiments  made  which  are 
usually  performed  with  electricity. 
By  these  experiments,  Franklin's 
theory  was  established  in  a  most 
firm  manner. 

Although  philosophy  was  a  princi 
pal  object  of  Franklin's  pursuit  for 
several  years,  he  confined  himself 
not  to  this.  In  the  year  1747,  he 
became  a  member  of  the  General 
Assembly  of  Pennsylvania,  as  a 
burgess  for  the  city  of  Philadelphia. 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  215 


Warm  disputes  at  this  time  subsisted 
between  the  Assembly  and  the 
Proprietors,  each  contending  for 
what  they  conceived  to  be  their  just 
rights.  Franklin,  a  friend  to  the 
rights  of  man  from  his  infancy, 
soon  distinguished  himself  as  a 
steady  opponent  of  the  unjust 
schemes  of  the  Proprietors. 

Dr.  Franklin  had  conducted  him 
self  so  well  in  the  office  of  post 
master,  and  had  shown  himself  to 
be  so  well  acquainted  with  the 
business  of  that  department,  that  it 
was  thought  expedient  to  raise  him 
to  a  more  dignified  station.  In  1753, 
he  was  appointed  Deputy  Post 
master  General  for  the  British 
Colonies.  The  profits  arising  from 
the  postage  of  letters  formed  no 
inconsiderable  part  of  the  revenue 


216  LIFE  OF 


which  the  crown  of  Great  Britain 
derived  from  these  colonies. 

The  American  colonies  were 
much  exposed  to  depredations  on 
their  frontiers  by  the  Indians,  and 
more  particularly  whenever  a  war 
took  place  between  France  and 
England.  The  colonies,  individu 
ally,  were  either  too  weak  to  take 
efficient  measures  for  their  own 
defence,  or  they  were  unwilling  to 
take  upon  themselves  the  whole 
burden  of  erecting  forts  and  main 
taining  garrisons,  whilst  their  neigh 
bours,  who  partook  equally  with 
themselves  of  the  advantages,  con 
tributed  nothing  to  the  expense. 
Sometimes  also  the  disputes  which 
subsisted  between  the  governors 
and  assemblies,  prevented  the 
adoption  of  means  of  defence,  as 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  217 

we  have  seen  was  the  case  in  Penn 
sylvania  in  1745.  To  devise  a 
plan  of  union  between  the  colonies, 
to  regulate  this  and  other  matters, 
appeared  a  desirable  object.  To 
accomplish  this,  in  the  year  1754, 
commissioners  from  New  Hamp 
shire,  Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island, 
New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  and 
Maryland,  met  at  Albany.  Dr. 
Franklin  attended  here,  as  a  com 
missioner  from  Pennsylvania,  and 
produced  a  plan,  which,  from  the 
place  of  meeting,  has  been  usually 
termed,  "The  Albany  Plan  of 
Union."  This  proposed,  that  ap 
plication  should  be  made  for  an  act 
of  Parliament,  to  establish  in  the 
colonies  a  general  government,  to 
be  administered  by  a  President- 
General,  appointed  by  the  crown, 


218  LIFE  OF 


and  by  a  Grand  Council,  consisting 
of  members  chosen  by  the  repre 
sentatives  of  the  different  colonies, 
their  number  to  be  in  direct  pro 
portion  to  the  sums  paid  by  each 
colony  into  the  general  treasury, 
with  this  restriction,  that  no  colony 
should  have  more  than  seven,  nor 
less  than  two  representatives.  The 
whole  executive  authority  was  com 
mitted  to  the  president- general. 
The  power  of  legislation  was  lodged 
in  the  grand  council  and  president- 
general  jointly,  his  consent  being 
made  necessary  to  passing  a  bill 
into  a  law.  The  powers  vested  in 
the  president  and  council  were,  to 
declare  war  and  peace,  and  to  con 
clude  treaties  with  the  Indian  na 
tions,  to  regulate  with,  and  to  make 
purchases  of  vacant  lands  from 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  219 

them,  either  in  the  name  of  the 
crown,  or  of  the  union  ;  to  settle 
new  colonies,  to  make  laws  for 
governing  these  until  they  should 
be  erected  into  separate  govern 
ments,  and  to  raise  troops,  build 
forts,  fit  out  armed  vessels,  and  use 
other  means  for  the  general  defence; 
and,  to  effect  these  things,  a  power 
was  given  to  make  laws,  laying 
such  duties,  imposts,  or  taxes,  as 
they  should  find  necessary,  and  as 
would  be  least  burthensome  to  the 
people.  All  laws  were  to  be  sent 
to  England,  for  the  king's  appro 
bation  ;  and,  unless  disapproved  of 
within  three  years,  were  to  rejnain 
in  force.  All  officers  in  the  land 
or  sea-service  were  to  be  nominated 
by  the  president-general,  and  ap 
proved  of  by  the  general  council  j 


220  LIFE    OF 


civil  officers  were  to  be  nominated 
by  the  council,  and  approved  by 
the  president.  Such  are  the  out 
lines  of  the  plan  proposed  for  the 
consideration  of  the  Congress  by 
Dr.  Franklin.  After  several  days 
discussion,  it  was  unanimously 
agreed  to  by  the  commissioners,  a 
copy  transmitted  to  each  assembly, 
and  one  to  the  king's  council.  The 
fate  of  it  was  singular.  It  was 
disapproved  of  by  the  ministry  of 
Great  Britain,  because  it  gave  too 
much  power  to  the  representatives 
of  the  people ;  and  it  was  rejected 
by  every  assembly,  as  giving  too 
muoh  power  to  the  president-gen 
eral,  the  representative  of  the  crown, 
an  influence  greater  than  appeared 
to  them  proper  in  a  plan  of  govern* 
ment  intended  for  freemen.  Per- 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  221 


haps  this  rejection  on  both  sides  is 
the  strongest  proof  that  could  be 
adduced  of  the  excellence  of  it,  as 
suited  to  the  situation  of  America 
and  Great  Britain  at  that  time.  It 
appears  to  have  steered  exactly  in 
the  middle,  between  the  opposite 
interests  of  both. 

Whilst  the  French  were  in  pos 
session  of  Canada,  their  trade  with 
the  natives  extended  very  far,  even 
to  the  back  of  the  British  settle 
ments.  They  were  disposed,  from 
time  to  time,  to  establish  posts  with 
in  the  territory  which  the  British 
claimed  as  their  own.  Independent 
of  the  injury  to  the  fur  trade,  which 
was  considerable,  the  colonies  suf 
fered  this  further  inconvenience, 
that  the  Indians  were  frequently  in 
stigated  to  commit  depredations  on 


222  LIFE  OF 

their  frontiers.  In  the  year  1753, 
encroachments  were  made  upon  the 
boundaries  of  Virginia.  Remon 
strances  had  no  effect.  In  the 
ensuing  year,  a  body  of  men  was 
sent  out  under  the  command  of 
Mr.  Washington,  who,  though  a 
very  young  man,  had  by  his  con 
duct  in  the  preceding  year,  shown 
himself  worthy  of  such  an  impor 
tant  trust.  Whilst  marching  to 
take  possession  of  the  post  at  the 
junction  of  the  Allegjaany  and 
Monongahela,  he  was  informed  that 
the  French  had  already  erected  a 
fort  there.  A  detachment  of  their 
men  marched  against  him.  He 
fortified  himself  as  strongly  as 
time  and  circumstances  would  ad 
mit.  A  superiority  of  numbers 
soon  obliged  him  to  surrender  Fort 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  223 


Necessity.  He  obtained  honourable 
terms  for  himself  and  his  men,  and 
returned  to  Virginia.  The  govern 
ment  of  Great  Britain  now  thought 
it  necessary  to  interfere.  .  In  the 
year  1755,  General  Braddock, 
with  some  regiments  of  regular 
troops  and  provincial  levies,  was 
sent  to  disposses  the  French  of  the 
posts  upon  which  they  had  seized. 
After  'the  men  were  all  ready,  a 
difficulty  occurred,  which  had  near 
ly  prevented  the  expedition.  This 
was  the  want  of  wagons.  Frank 
lin  now  stepped  forward,  and,  with 
the  assistance  of  his  son,  in  a  little 
time  procured  one  hundred  and  fifty. 
Braddock  unfortunately  fell  into  an 
ambuscade,  and  perished,  with  a 
great  number  of  his  men. 

The  alarm  spread   through  the 


224  LIFE  or 


colonies,  after  the  defeat  of  Brad- 
dock,  was  very  great.  Prepara 
tions  to  arm  were  everywhere 
made.  In  Pennsylvania,  the  pre 
valence  of  the  Quaker  interest  pre 
vented  tne  adoption  of  any  system 
of  defence  which  would  compel  the 
citizens  to  bear  arms.  Franklin 
introduced  into  the  assembly  a  bill 
for  organizing  a  militia,  by  which 
every  man  was  allowed  to  take 
arms  or  not,  as  to  him  should  ap 
pear  fit.  The  Quakers,  being  thus 
left  at  liberty,  suffered  the  bill  to 
pass  ;  for,  although  their  principles 
would  not  suffer  them  to  fight,  they 
had  no  objections  to  their  neigh 
bours  fighting  for  them.  In  con 
sequence  of  this  act,  a  very  re 
spectable  militia  was  formed.  The 
sense  of  impending  danger  infused 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  225 


a  military  spirit  in  all  whose  re 
ligious  tenets  were  not  opposed  to 
war.  Franklin  was  appointed  co 
lonel  of  a  regiment  in  Philadelphia, 
which  consisted  of  twelve  hundred 
men. 

The  north-western  frontier  being 
invaded  by  the  enemy,  it  became 
necessary  to  adopt  measures  for  its 
defence.  Franklin  was  directed  by 
the  governor  to  take  charge  of  this 
business.  A  power  of  raising  men, 
and  of  appointing  officers  to  com 
mand  them,  was  vested  in  him*  He 
soon  levied  a  body  of  troops,  with 
which  he  repaired  to  the  place  at 
which  their  presence  was  necessary. 
Here  he  built  a  fort,  and  placed  the 
garrison  in  such  a  posture  of  de 
fence,  as  would  enable  them  to 
withstand  the  inroads  to  which  the 


226  LIFE  OF 


inhabitants  had  previously  been 
exposed.  He  remained  here  for 
some  time,  in  order  the  more  com 
pletely  to  discharge  the  trust  com 
mitted  to  him.  Some  business  of 
importance  at  length  rendered  his 
presence  necessary  iri  the  assembly, 
and  he  returned  to  Philadelphia. 

The  disputes  between  the  pro 
prietaries  and  the  people  continued 
m  full  force,  although  a  war  was 
raging  on  the  frontiers.  Not  even 
the  sense  of  danger  was  sufficient 
to  reconcile,  for  ever  so  short  a 
time,  their  jarring  interest.  The 
assembly  still  insisted  upon  the 
justice  of  taxing  the  proprietary 
estates;  but  the  governors  constantly- 
refused  to  give  their  assent  to  this 
measure,  without  which  no  bill 
could  pass  into  a  law.  Enraged 


BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN.        227 


at  the  obstinacy,  and  what  they 
conceived  to  be  unjust  proceedings 
of  their  opponents,  the  assembly  at 
length  determined  to  apply  to  the 
I  mother  country  for  relief.  A  peti 
tion  was  addressed  to  the  king  in 
council,  stating  the  inconveniences 
under  which  the  inhabitants  la 
boured,  from  the  attention  of  the 
proprietaries  to  their  private  interest, 
to  the  neglect  of  the  general  wel 
fare  of  the  community,  and  pray 
ing  for  redress.  Franklin  was 
appointed  to  present  this  address, 
as  agent,  for  the  province  of  Penn 
sylvania,  and  departed  from  Ameri 
ca  in  June,  1757.  In  conformity 
to  the  instructions  which  he  had 
received  from  the  legislature,  he 
held  a  conference  with  the  proprie 
taries,  who  then  resided  in  England, 


228  LIFE  OF 


and  endeavoured  to  prevail  upon 
them  to  give  up  the  long-contested 
point.  Finding  that  they  would 
hearken  to  no  terms  of  accommo 
dation,  he  laid  his  petition  before 
the  council.  During  this  time, 
Governor  Denny  assented  to  a  law 
imposing  a  tax,  in  which  no  dis 
crimination  was  made  in  favour  of 
the  Penn  family.  They,  alarmed 
at  this  intelligence,  and  Franklin's 
exertions,  used  their  utmost  en 
deavours  to  prevent  the  royal  sanc 
tion  being  given  to  this  law,  which 
they  represented  as  highly  iniqui 
tous,  designed  to  throw  the  support 
of  government  upon  them,  and 
calculated  to  produce  the  most  ruin 
ous  consequences  to  them  and  their 
posterity.  The  cause  was  amply 
discussed  before  the  privy  council. 


BENJAMIN     FRANKLIN.  229 

The  Penns  found  here  some  stren 
uous  advocates ;  nor  were  there 
wanting  some  who  warmly  espoused 
the  side  of  the  people.  After  some 
time  spent  in  debate,  a  proposal 
was  made,  that  Franklin  should 
solemnly  engage  that  the  assess 
ment  of  the  Six  should  be  so  made, 
as  that  the  proprietary  estates  should 
pay  no  more  than  a  due  proportion. 
This  he  agreed  to  perform ;  the 
Penn  family  withdrew  their  oppo 
sition,  and  tranquillity  was  thus 
once  more  restored  to  the  province. 
The  mode  in  which  this  dispute 
was  terminated  is  a  striking  proof 
of  the  high  opinion  entertained  of 
Frankjin's  integrity  and  honour, 
even  by  those  who  considered  him 
as  inimical  to  their  views.  Nor 
was  their  confidence  ill-founded. 


230  LIFE  OF 


The  assessment  was  made  upon 
the  strictest  principles  of  equity, 
and  the  proprietary  estates  bore 
only  a  proportionable  share  of  the 
expenses  of  supporting  government. 

After  the  completion  of  this  im 
portant  business,  Franklin  remained 
at  the  court  of  Greafc  Britain,  as 
agent  for  the  province  of  Pennsyl 
vania.  The  extensive  knowledge 
which  he  possessed  of  -the  situation 
of  the  colonies,  and  the  regard 
which  he  always  manifested  for 
their  interests,  occasioned  his  ap 
pointment  to  the  same  office  by  the 
color  ies  of  Massachusetts,  Mary 
land,  and  Georgia.  His  conduct 
in  this  situation  was  such  as  ren 
dered  him  still  more  dear  to  his 
countrymen. 

He  had  now  an  opportunity  of 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  231 


indulging  in  the  society  of  I  hose 
friends  whom  his  merits  had  pro 
cured  him  while  at  a  distance. 
The  regard  which  they  had  enter 
tained  for  him  was  rather  increased 
by  a  personal  acquaintance.  The 
opposition  which  had  been  made  to 
his  discoveries  in  philosophy,  gradu 
ally  ceased,  and  the  rewards  of 
literary  merit  were  abundantly  con 
ferred  upon  him.  The  Royal  So 
ciety  of  London,  which  had  at  first 
refused  his  performances  admission 
into  its  transactions,  now  thought 
it  an  honour  to  rank  him  among  its 
fellows.  Other  societies  of  Europe 
were  equally  ambitious  of  calling 
him  a  member.  The  university  of 
St.  Andrew's,  in  Scotland,  conferred 
upon  him  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Laws.  Its  example  was  followed 


232  LIFE  OF 


by  the  universities  of  Edinburgh 
and  of  Oxford.  His  correspon 
dence  was  sought  for  by  the  most 
eminent  philosophers  of  Europe. 
His  letters  to  these  abound  with 
true  science,  delivered  in  the  most 
simple,  unadorned  manner. 

In  the  summer  of  1762  he  re 
turned  to  America.  On  his  pas 
sage  he  observed  the  singular  effect 
produced  by  the  agitation  of  a 
vessel  containing  oil  floating  on 
water.  The  surface  of  the  oil  re 
mains  smooth  and  undisturbed, 
whilst  the  water  is  agitated  with 
the  utmost  commotion.  No  satis 
factory  explanation  of  this  appear 
ance  has,  we  believe,  ever  been 
given. 

Dr.  Franklin  received  the  thanks 
of  the  Assembly  of  Pennsylvania, 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  233 

"  as  well  for  the  faithful  discharge 
of  his  duty  to  that  province  in  par 
ticular,  as  for  the  many  and  im 
portant  services  done  to  America 
in  general,  during  his  residence  in 
Great  Britain."  A  compensation 
of  five  thousand  pounds,  Pennsyl 
vania  currency,  was  also  decreed 
him  for  his  services  during  six 
years. 

During  his  absence  he  had  been 
annually  elected  member  of*  the 
Assembly.  On  his  return  to  Penn 
sylvania,  he  again  took  his  seat  in 
this  body,  and  continued  a  steady 
defender  of  the  liberties  of  the 
people. 

At  the  election  for  a  new  Assem 
bly,  in  the  fall  of  1764,  the  friends 
of  the  proprietaries  made  great  ex 
ertions  to  exclude  those  of  the  ad- 


234  LIFE  OF 


verse  party,  and  obtained  a  small 
majority  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia. 
Franklin  now  lost  his  seat  in  the 
House,  which  he  had  held  for  four 
teen  years.  On  the  meeting  of  the 
Assembly,  it  appeared  that  there 
was  still  a  decided  majority  of 
Franklin's  friends.  He  was  imme 
diately  appointed  provincial  agent, 
to  the  great  chagrin  of  his  enemies, 
who  made  a  solemn  protest  against 
his  appointment,  which  was  refused 
admission  upon  the  minutes,  as  be 
ing  unprecedented.  It  was,  how 
ever,  published  in  the  papers,  and 
produced  a  spirited  reply  from  him, 
just  before  his  departure  for  Eng 
land. 

The  disturbances  produced  in 
America  by  Mr.  Grcnvillc's  stamp- 
act,  and  the  opposition  made  to  it 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  235 


are  well  known.  Under  the  Mar 
quis  of  Rockingham's  administra 
tion,  it  appeared  expedient  to  endea 
vour  to  calm  the  minds  of  the 
colonists,  and  the  repeal  of  the 
odious  tax  was  contemplated. 
Amongst  other  means  of  collecting 
information  on  the  disposition  of 
the  people  to  submit  to  it,  Dr. 
Franklin  was  called  to  the  bar  of 
the  House  of  Commons.  The  ex 
amination  'which  he  here  underwent 
was  published,  and  contains  a  stri 
king  proof  of  the  extent  and  accu 
racy  of  his  information,  and  the 
facility  with  which  he  communicated 
his  sentiments.  He '  represented 
facts  in  so  strong  a  point  of  view, 
that  the  inexpediency  of  the  act 
must  have  appeared  clear  to  every 
unprejudiced  mind.  The  act,  after 


236  LIFE  OF 


some  opposition,  was  repealed  about 
a  year  after  it  was  enacted,  and 
before  it  had  ever  been  carried  into 
execution.  In  1776,  he  made  a 
visit  to  Holland  and  Germany,  and 
received  the  greatest  marks  of 
attention  from  men  of  science.  In 
his  passage  through  Holland,  he 
learned  from  the  watermen  the 
effect  which  a  diminution  of  the 
quantity  of  water  in  canals  has  in 
impeding  the  progress  of  boats. 
Upon  his  return  to  England,  he  was 
led  to  make  a  number  of  experi 
ments,  all  of  which  tended  to  con 
firm  the  observation.  These,  with 
an  explanation  of  the  phenomenon, 
he  communicated  in  a  letter  to  his 
friend  Sir  John  Pringle,  which  is 
contained  in  the  volume  of  his 
philosophical  pieces. 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN,  237 

In  the  following  year,  he  travel 
led  into  France,  where  he  met  with 
a  no  less  favourable  reception  than 
he  had  experienced  in  Germany. 
He  was  introduced  to  a  number  of 
literary  characters,  and  to  the  king, 
Louis  XV. 

Several  letters,  written  by  Hutch  - 
inson,  Oliver,  and  others,  to  persons 
in  eminent  stations  in  Great  Britain, 
came  into  the  hands  of  Dr.  Frank 
lin.  These  contained  the  most 
violent  invectives  against  the  leading 
characters  of  the  state  of  Massa-' 
chusetts,  and  strenuously  advised 
the  prosecution  of  vigorous  mea 
sures,  to  compel  the  people  to 
obedience  to  the  measures  of  the 
ministry.  These  he  transmitted  to 
the  legislature,  by  whom  they  were 
published.  Attested  copies  of  them 


238  LIFE  OF 


Were  sent  to  Great  Britain,  with  an 
;  address,  praying  the  king   to  dis- 
|  charge  from  office  persons  who  had 
;  shown  themselves  so  unfriendly  to 
!  their  interests.     The  publication  of 
;  these   letters  produced  a  duct  be 
tween  Mr.  Wheatly  and  Mr.  Tem 
ple,  each  of  whom   was  suspected 
of    having    been    instrumental    in 
procuring  them.     To  prevent  any 
further  disputes  on  the  subject,.  Dr» 
Franklin,    in    one   of    the    public 
papers,  declared  that  he  had   sent 
them  to  America,  but  would   give 
no     information     concerning    the 
manner  in  which  he  had  obtained 
them  ;  nor  was  this  ever  discovered. 
Shortly  after,  the  petition  of  the 
Massachusetts  Assembly  was  taken 
tip  for  examination,  before  the  privy 
council.      Dr.  Franklin   attended, 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  239 

as  agent  for  the  Assembly  ;  and 
here  a  torrent  of  the  most  violent 
and  unwarrantable  abuse  was 
poured  upon  him  by  the  solicitor 
general,  Wedderburnc,  (afterwards 
Lord  Loughbbrough)  who  was  en 
gaged  as  counsel  for  Oliver  and 
Hutchinsoh.  The  petition  was  de 
clared  to  be  scandalous  and  vexa 
tious,  and  the  prayer  of  it  rejected. 
Dr.  Franklin  left  nothing  untried 
to  prevail  upon  the  British  ministry 
to  consent  to  a  change  of  measures. 
In  private  conversations,  and  in 
letters  to  persons  in  government,  he 
continually  expatiated  upon  the  im 
policy  and  injustice  of  their  con 
duct  towards  America,  and  stated, 
that,  notwithstanding  the  attachment 
of  the  colonists  to  the  mothei* 
country,  a  repetition  of  ill  treatment 


240  LIFE  OF 

must  ultimately  alienate  their  affec 
tions*  They  listened  not  to  his 
advice.  They  blindly  persevered  in 
their  own  schemes,  and  left  to  the 
colonists  no  other  alternative  but 
opposition  or  unconditional  sub 
mission.  The  latter  accorded  not 
with  the  principles  of  freedom 
which  they  had  been  taught  to  re 
vere.  To  the  former  they  were 
compelled,  though  reluctantly,  to 
have  recourse. 

Dr«  Franklin,  finding  all  efforts 
to  restore  harmony  between  Great 
Britain  and  her  colonies  useless,  re 
turned  to  America  in  the  year  1775, 
just  after  the  commencement  of 
hostilities.  The  day  after  his  re 
turn,  he  was  elected,  by  the  legis 
lature  of  Pennsylvania,  a  member 
of  Congress.  Not  long  after  his 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  241 


election,  a  committee  was  appointed, 
consisting  of  Mr.  Lynch,  Mr.-  Har 
rison,  and  himself,  to  visit  the  camp 
at  Cambridge,  and,  in  conjunction 
with  the  commander-in-chief,  to 
endeavour  to  convince  the  troops, 
whose  term  of  enlistment  was  about 
to  expire,  of  the  necessity  of  their 
continuing  in  the  field,  and  per 
severing  in  the  cause  of  their 
country. 

In  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  he 
visited  Canada,  to  endeavour  to 
unite  them  in  the  common  cause  of 
liberty ;  but  they  could  not  be  pre 
vailed  upon  to  oppose  the  measures 
of  the  British  government.  M.  Le- 
Roy,  in  a  letter  annexed  to  Abbe 
Fauchet's  eulogium  of  Dr.  Frank 
lin,  states,  that  the  ill  success  of 
this  negotiation  was  occasioned,  in 


16 


242  LIFE  OF 


a  great  degree,  by  religious  ani 
mosities,  which  subsisted  between 
the  Canadians  and  their  neighbours, 
some  of  whom  had,  at  different 
times,  burnt  their  chapels. 

When  Lord  Howe  came  to 
America,  in  1776,  vested  with 
power  to  treat  with  the  colonists,  z* 
correspondence  took  place  between 
him  and  Dr.  Franklin,  on  the  sub 
ject  of  a  reconciliation.  Dr.  Frank 
lin  was  afterwards  appointed,  to 
gether  with  John  Adams  and 
Edward  Rutledge,  to  wait  upon 
the  commissioners,  in  order  to  learn 
the  extent  of  their  power.  These 
were  founjl  to  be  only  to  grant 
pardons  upon  submission.  These 
were  terms  which  would  not  be 
accepted,  and  the  object  of  the  com 
missioners  could  not  be  obtained. 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  243 


The  momentous  question  of  inde 
pendence  was  shortly  after  brought 
into  view,  at  a  time  when  the  fleets 
and  armies,  which  were  sent  to 
enforce  obedience,  were  truly  for 
midable.  With  an  army  ignorant 
of  discipline,  and  entirely  unskilled 
in  the  art  of  war ;  without  money, 
without  a  fleet,  without  allies,  and 
with  nothing  but  the  love  of  liberty 
to  support  them,  the  colonists  de 
termined  to  separate  from  a  country 
from  which  they  had  experienced  a 
repetition  of  injury  and  insult.  In 
this  question  Dr.  Franklin  was  de 
cidedly  in  favour  of  the  measure 
proposed,  and  had  great  influence 
in  bringing  over  others  to  his  sen 
timents. 

The  public  mind  had  been  pretty 
fully  prepared  for  ttyis  event,  by 


244  LIFE  OF 

Thomas  Paine's  celebrated  pam 
phlet,  Common  Sense.  There  is 
good  reason  to  believe  that  Dr. 
Franklin  had  no  inconsiderable 
share,  at  least  in  furnishing  materials 
for  this  work. 

In  the  convention  which  assem 
bled  at  Philadelphia,  in  1776,  for 
the  purpose  of  establishing  a  new 
form  of  government  for  the  state  of 
Pennsylvania,  Dr.  Franklin  was 
chosen  President.  The  consti 
tution  then  formed,  which  was 
the  result  of  their  deliberations, 
may  be  considered  as  a  digest  of 
his  principles  of  government.  The 
single  legislature,  and  the  plural 
executive,  seem  to  have  been  his 
favourite  tenets. 

In  the  latter  end  of  1776,  Dr. 
Franklin  was  appointed  to  assist  in 


BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  245 

the  negotiations  which  had  been 
set  on  foot  by  Silas  Deane,  at  the 
court  of  France.  A  conviction  of 
the  advantages  of  a  commercial  in 
tercourse  with  America,  and  a 
desire  of  weakening  the  British 
empire  by  dismembering  it,  first 
induced  the  French  court  to  listen 
to  proposals  df  an  alliance.  But 
they  showed  rather  a  reluctance  to 
the  measure,  which,  by  Dr.  Frank 
lin's  address,  and  particularly  by 
the  success  of  the  American  arms 
against  General  Burgoyne,  was  at 
length  overcome,  and  in  February 
1778,  a  treaty  of  alliance,  offensive 
and  defensive,  was  concluded,  in 
consequence  of  which  France  be 
came  involved  in  the  war  with 
Great  Britain. 

Perhaps   no  person  could  have 


246  LIFE  OF 


been  found  more  capable  of  ren 
dering  essential  services  to  the 
United  States  at  the  court  of  France 
than  Dr.  Franklin.  He  was  well 
known  as  a  philosopher,  and  his 
character  was  held  in  the  highest 
estimation.  He  was  received  with 
the  greatest  marks  of  respect  by 
all  literary  characters,  and  this 
respect  was  extended  amongst  all 
classes  of  men.  His  personal  in 
fluence  was  hence  very  considera 
ble.  To  the  effects  of  this  were 
added  those  of  various  performances 
which  he  published,  tending  to 
establish  the  credit  and  character 
of  the  United  States.  To  his  ex 
ertions  in  this  way,  may,  in  no 
small  degree,  be  ascribed  the  success 
of  the  loans  negotiated  in  Holland 
and  France,  which  greatly  con- 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  247 

tributed  to  bringing  the  war  to  a 
happy  conclusion. 

The  repeated  ill  success  of  their 
arms,  and  more  particularly  the 
capture  of  Cornwallis  and  his  army, 
at  length  convinced  the  British  na 
tion  of  the  impossibility  of  reducing 
the  Americans  to  subjection.  The 
trading  interest  particularly  became 
clamorous  for  peace.  The  ministry 
were  unable  longer  to  oppose  their 
wishes.  Provisional  articles  of 
peace  were  agreed  to,  and  signed 
at  Paris,  on  the  30th  of  November, 
1782,  by  Dr.  Franklin,  Mr.  Adams, 
Mr.  Jay,  and  Mr.  Laurens,  on  the 
part  of  the  United  States ;  and  by 
Mr.  Oswald,  on  the  part  of  Great 
Britain. 

These  formed  the  basis  of  the 
definitive  treaty,  which  was  con- 


248  LIFE  OF 


eluded  the  third  of  September,  1783, 
and  signed  by  Dr.  Franklin,  Mr. 
Adams,  and  Mr.  Jay,  on  the  one 
part,  and  by  Mr.  David  Hartley  on 
the  other. 

On  the  third  of  April,  1783,  a 
treaty  of  amity  and  commerce,  be 
tween  the  United  States  and  Sweden, 
was  concluded  at  Paris  by  Dr. 
Franklin  and  the  Count  Von  Kruitz. 

Dr.  Franklin  did  not  allow  his 
political  pursuits  to  engross  his 
whole  attention.  Some  of  his  per 
formances  made  their  appearance 
in  Paris.  The  object  of  these  was, 
generally,  the  promotion  of  indus 
try  and  economy. 

The  important  ends  of  Dr. 
Franklin's  mission  being  completed 
by  the  establishment  of  American 
Independence,  and  the  infirmities 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  249 

of  age  and  disease  corning  upon 
him,  he  became  desirous  of  re 
turning  to  his  native  country.  Up 
on  application  to  Congress  to  be 
recalled,  Mr.  Jefferson  was  appoint 
ed  to  succeed  him,  in  1785.  Some 
time  in  September  of  the  same 
year,  Dr.  Franklin  arrived  in 
Philadelphia.  He  was,  shortly 
after,  chosen  member  of  the'  Su 
preme  Executive  Council  for  the 
city,  and  soon  after  was  elected 
president  of  the  same. 

When  a  convention  was  called 
to  meet  in  Philadelphia,  in  1787, 
for  the  purpose  of  giving  more 
energy  to  the  government  of  the 
union,  by  revising  and  amending 
the  articles  of  confederation,  Dr. 
Franklin  was  appointed  a  delegate 
from  the  state  of  Pennsylvania. 


250  LIFE  OF 


He  signed  the  constitution  which 
they  proposed  for  the  union,  and 
gave  it  the  most  unequivocal  marks 
of  his  approbation. 

Dr.  Franklin's  increasing  infir 
mities  prevented  his  regular  attend 
ance  at  the  council-chamber ;  and 
in  1788,  he  retired  wholly  from 
public  life. 

His  constitution  had  been  a  re 
markably  good  one.  He  had  been 
little  subject  to  disease,  except  an 
attack  of  the  gout,  occasionally, 
until  about  the  year  1781,  when  he 
was  first  attacked  with  symptoms 
of  the  calculous  complaint,  which 
continued  during  his  life.  During 
the  intervals  of  pain  from  this 
grievous  disease,  he  spent  many 
cheerful  hours,  conversing  in  the 
most  agreeable  and  instructive  man- 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  251 


ner.  His  faculties  were  entirely 
unimpaired,  even  to  the  hour  of 
his  death. 

In  the  beginning  of  April  fol 
lowing,  he  was  attacked  with  a 
fever  and  complaint  of  his  breast, 
which  terminated  his  existence. 
The  following  account  of  his  last 
illness  was  written  by  his  friend  and 
physician  Dr.  Jones. 

"  The  stone,  with  which  he  had 
been  afflicted  for  several  years,  had, 
for  the  last  twelve  months,  con 
fined  him  chiefly  to  his  bed ;  and 
during  the  extreme  painful  par 
oxysms,  he  vas  obliged  to  take 
large  doses  of  laudanum  to  mitigate 
his  tortures — still,  in  the  intervals 
of  pain,  he  not  only  amused  him 
self  with  reading  and  conversing 
cheerfully  with  his  family,  and  a 


252  LIFE  OF 

few  of  his  friends  who  visited  him, 
but  was  often  employed  in  doing 
business  of  a  public  as  well  as 
private  nature,  with  various  persons 
who  waited  on  him  for  that  purpose  ; 
and  in  every  instance  displayed  not 
only  that  readiness  and  disposition 
of  doing  good,  which  was  the  dis 
tinguishing  characteristic  of  his 
life,  but  the  fullest  and  clearest 
possession  of  his  uncommon  men 
tal  abilities,  and  not  unfrequently 
indulged  himself  in  those  juex 
d'esprit  and  entertaining  anecdotes, 
which  were  the  delight  of  all  who 
heard  him. 

"  About  sixteen  days  before  his 
death,  he  was  seized  with  a  feverish 
indisposition,  without  any  particular 
symptoms  attending  it,  till  the  third 
or  fourth  day,  when  he  complained 


BENJAMIN     FRANKLIN.  253 

of  a  pain  in  his  left  breast,  which  in 
creased  till  it  became  extremely 
acute,  attended  with  a  cough,  and 
laborious  breathing.  During  this 
slate,  when  the  severity  of  his  pains 
drew  forth  a  groan  of  complaint, 
he  would  observe,  that  he  w#s 
afraid  he  did  not  bear  them  as  he 
ought — acknowledged  his  grateful 
sense jof  the  many  blessings  he  had 
received  from  the  Supreme  Being, 
who  had  raised  him,  from  small 
and  low  beginnings,  to  such  high 
rank  and  consideration  among  men 
— and  made  no  doubt  but  his  pre 
sent  afflictions  were  kindly  intend 
ed  to  wean  him  from  a  world  in 
which  he  was  no  longer  fit  to  act 
the  part  assigned  him.  In  this 
frame  of  body  and  mind  he  con 
tinued  till  five  days  before  his  death, 


254  LIFE  OF 


when  his  pain  and  difficulty  of 
breathing  entirely  left  him,  and  his 
family  were  flattering  themselves 
with  the  hopes  of  his  recovery, 
when  an  imposthumation,  which 
had  formed  itself  in  his  lungs, 
suddenly  burst,  and  discharged  a 
great  quantity  of  matter,  which  he 
continued  to  throw  up  while  he  had 
sufficient  strength  to  do  it ;  But  as 
that  failed,  the  organs  of  respiration 
became  gradually  oppressed — a 
calm,  lethargic  state  succeeded, and, 
on  the  seventeenth  of  April,  1790, 
about  eleven  o'clock  at  night,  he 
quietly  expired,  closing  a  long  and 
useful  life  of  eighty-four  years  and 
three  months. 

The  following  epitaph  on  himself 
was  written  by  him  many  years 
previous  to  his  death  : 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN.  255 


THE  BODY 

OF 

BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN, 

PRINTER, 
Like  the  Cover  of  an  old  Book, 

Its  Contents  torn  out, 
And  stript  of  its  Lettering  and  Gilding, 

Lies  here  Food  for  Worms. 

Yet  the  Work  itself  shall  not  be  lost, 

For  it  will  (as  he  believed)  appear  once  more 

In  a  new  and  more  beautiful  Edition, 

Corrected  and  Amended 

by 
THE  AUTHOR. 


THE  END. 


n 


